Reading: Son of the Earthshaker
by Engineer4Ever
Summary: Well, by popular demand, the reading of Bones and I collab story SOTE is now a reading from the mind of E4E. Time to take a walk on the Roman side of things people! So enjoy the tale of Naruto, son of Neptune!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_** **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **Chapter I**

* * *

"The page won't turn," Piper said with a frown as she struggled with the next story from the Olympian One-Offs. "Hey!"

The book shone as it shot from her grasp, hovering in front of the demigods. Another book appeared in place of the collection of short stories. The screen displayed a familiar blond wearing the colors of Camp Jupiter, a pair of golden bracers covering his arms, which were crossed over his broad chest. Instead of the usual blue in his eyes, though, were startling, beautiful shades of sea green. At his right was Jason in his glory, wearing the same purple shirt his old spear in hand while on his left Kushina smiled from a beach at them.

"...Okay, this _almost_ makes up for my story not coming back." Apollo mumbled. Zeus scowled.

"Now this is bullshit." The king rumbled. Poseidon gave him a dull glare for using his sacred animal in the insult while Hestia glared outright.

"Zeus!"

"Hestia, why does he get his own story while we must wait?"

"Because he is the only one of us without a Roman child?" Hades suggested with a raised brow. "Aside from Athena, for obvious reasons..."

Athena had a look of displeasure on her face and Aphrodite tittered.

"Oh, he's a handsome one, Poseidon." She praised. "He obtained his hair from his father's disguise, I'm sure."

"...A blonde Neptune?" Apollo rubbed his chin. "...Nope, don't see it."

"Let's not speak of where he obtained his looks and just get on with it, shall we?" Hera asked. She looked at the demigods. "Percy Jackson, would you like the honors?"

"Alright," Percy said, intrigued at the thought of Naruto as his brother. The book floated over to his hands and he cracked it open. "Chapter one."

 **"Home at last, baby," said the relieved voice of a woman as she and her almost four-year-old son entered their home, the boy giggling in childlike wonder.**

"So no super ninja?" Piper wondered.

"Guess not." Percy grinned. Finally! No more ninjas!

 **The woman had her long red hair pulled back into a tight bun covered by her MARPAT cap, alluring purple eyes with a slight edge to them and her working uniform hiding her frame. She was beautiful, still in her late twenties, so it was expected. However, there was the exhaustion of raising a child and juggling that with the duties of a Lieutenant, junior grade officer obvious on her face.**

"Of course she would be in the Navy." Athena rolled her eyes as Poseidon glared at her.

"You do remember Triton is the god of the Navy, correct?" He asked. That shut up the war goddess.

"Well, I think she pulls off the uniform nicely Poseidon." Aphrodite complimented.

"Thank you, Aphrodite."

 **She dropped her olive duffle bag on the ground and quickly scooped up the small boy that ran ahead of her. "Come back here, munchkin. Oh, Mommy missed you. Did you have fun at Nana's?"**

"Aww!" Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel cooed along with Aphrodite, Hestia and Demeter. Artemis, Hera and Thalia merely smiled.

"Little Naruto is so cute!" The goddess of love squealed. "It's a universal fact."

"...Mine's probably best lookin'." Apollo mumbled. He grunted when Artemis absentmindedly smacked him upside the head.

 **"Yes!" the boy said clearly. She smiled at him and kissed his cheeks, making him giggle some more. His sea green eyes twinkled happily and a messy mop of blond hair covered his head.**

"It truly is amazing," Hades noted. "A son without the black hair."

"He could have gotten it from his mother's side. Latent genes and all," Hermes said with a shrug.

"What's impressive is how he pulls off mother's eyes." Hestia mused, getting nods all around. Percy smirked, yeah, they were awesome eyes.

 **"Good! Now, Mommy's home...so what does that mean?" the mother asked her son.**

 **"Ramen!" the boy said, throwing his hands up in the air with his cheer and making her laugh.**

"Wouldn't be Naruto without the ramen." Annabeth giggled, it seems that all Naruto's loved it.

"Universal fact number one: It isn't Naruto without the Ramen." Leo mused as he wrote this down. He was so going to make a list for future stories. Not every Naruto would have the same traits...right?

 **"Every night." The laughing mother said. She tapped him on the nose, making him giggle again. "Mommy's home equals ramen every night."**

"Like blue food."

"Percy," Thalia groaned. "Enough with the blue food!"

"Never!"

 **"I don't think that is a good idea, Kushina." A baritone voice said. Kushina and her son looked into the living room where a man in a white dress admiral uniform sat in the sole recliner. He had sea green eyes much like the boy, but his hair was pitch black, greying along the sides and in his neatly trimmed beard. He had a faint smile on his face as he watched the two interact.**

"Neptune doesn't look that much different." Percy noted. "Or, well, war-like."

"Oh trust me, Percy, he is when he wants to be. He's just mellowed out through the years like I did," Poseidon said.

 **At seeing the man in her house, Kushina set her son on the ground. "Go to your room, munchkin."**

 **"Who's that?" the boy asked.**

 **"Just go, Naruto." Kushina said, escorting him through the room while watching the man warily.**

"Ooh, someone's not happy with the reunion," Hermes said. He ignored the side glare he received from his uncle.

 **"Okay." Naruto said. He looked around his mother's leg at the man, getting a small smile from him. Naruto, being the cheerful boy he was, smiled and waved at him before disappearing into the hall and going to his room to play with his toys.**

"He's a little sweetheart," Hazel said with a soft smile. She was a sucker for little kids.

 **"He's getting so big." The man said, sighing.**

 **"What do you want?" Kushina asked, getting to the point and making him arch a brow. He gave a light chuckle.**

"There's that military attitude." Ares snickered. His comment earned him a smirk from Athena.

 **"Always so blunt. I like that about you, Kushina. Straight to the point, then." The man said, getting up and taking his white cap off the table to his left, tucking it under his arm. He towered over her by a head and spoke sternly. "As I warned you, Naruto's scent is getting potent."**

"He's three, almost four," Percy said with a blink.

"Still, for someone like him, a child of Rome, it would be best if he went to training sooner rather than later," Artemis said. She was one of the few Olympians that was close to Lupa, or at least Diana was.

"So that means I might get to train with him." Jason said, looking surprised yet interested.

Thalia on the other hand frowned, since that would been she only recently lost Jason. Not cool at all…but if she could see him growing up, she supposed that would be a sort of good trade off.

 **"I ship out in a couple months, I can take him with me." Kushina said, her jaw tightening. "His presence would bless the boat and give us safe passage...wouldn't it?"**

"She has a point," Poseidon said with a stroke of his beard. That was some smart thinking on Kushina's part.

 **"There are things in the ocean that even I can't control." The man said. His words made the woman clench her hands into fists.**

"Oh, so the mighty Sea King admits to not have everything under control?" Zeus remarked smugly.

"The sea cannot be restrained like the empty sky." Poseidon smirked back.

"Empty!?"

"Zeus." Hestia warned, causing her youngest brother to start grumbling to himself.

 **"I'm not ready...He's not even four, yet." Kushina said, her eyes tearing up. "There has to be something else I can do."**

"At least Mom had time with me." Percy mumbled. He felt bad for Kushina now.

 **"...It is the best way to protect him, Kushina." He said. "You know that it is what he needs."**

 **"He's my son!" Kushina said, controlling her emotions as best she could. "You're asking me to just-just** ** _abandon_** **him at Jack London's cottage!"**

"Amen, lady." Thalia nodded, still upset and understood the redheaded woman's woes.

 **"It is for the best." The man said, looking to the side and meeting the eyes of the boy that was peeking around the corner. "We will speak of this no longer. You will take him to the Wolf Lodge before his birthday comes. I cannot help you if you wait a second more."**

"There's that Roman ordering around." Frank pointed out, getting nods of agreement from Jason, Reyna, and Hazel.

 **"I hate you sometimes." Kushina said.** **She followed his gaze and felt her breath hitch at seeing Naruto looking at them. Kushina looked back at the man that was dressed as her superior – which in a way he was**

"That's got to make for some interesting bedroom games," Aphrodite said thoughtfully.

"Aphrodite!" Hera glared at the goddess of love.

"What? Oh, don't act like you and Zeus don't role-!"

"Aphrodite, for all of our sakes, do _not_ finish that sentence." Athena warned with a slightly uncomfortable look on her face. The other Olympians had turned a slight shade of green and the demigods faired no better.

– **and frowned. "Can...Will I lose him?"**

"Good question." Percy frowned, was this what his mom could have gone through if she had taken him to camp so much earlier? It was a worrying idea to be honest.

 **The man stared at her for a moment, his gaze turning a bit softer, before he answered. "As long as he never loses you, you will not lose him. The tide always returns home, Kushina."**

"Aww," Apollo snickered. "Uncle P, the feels!"

"I try." Poseidon smirked at the complement.

 **"...Thank you." Kushina said, a tear falling out of the corner of her eye. The man nodded and walked to the door, stopping and looking back at the family of two when Naruto rushed out to ask why his mom was crying. He smiled lightly before opening the door and putting his hat back on as he left.**

"Like the old man of the sea" Apollo said in a distant tone.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Way to ruin the moment."

"Hey, I make moments! Hallmark was one of my kids' ideas, ya know!"

"Believe me, I know." Hermes drawled.

 **Kushina looked in the rearview mirror of her car at the toddler that fell asleep in his car seat. Despite not wanting to do it, she knew that he was right and Naruto would be in danger the longer he was kept from his true calling.**

"Ah, the army." Ares grinned. "We take all children for free and raise them to be killers."

"I'd believe it." Athena sniffed. Her comment earned her frowns from the Roman demigods.

 **Still, he was her baby boy. Kushina could barely manage to leave him with his grandmother, who was the chief surgeon of the hospital she worked at, when she had to leave for months at a time. The only time Kushina had taken him on her ship was when Naruto was less than a year old, and it was the smoothest sailing she ever had.**

"Like a lucky trinket or something." Leo mused, taking a glance at the current reader.

"I'm not a trinket." Percy glared at the innocent smile that was pointed in his direction.

 **"Almost there, baby." Kushina said softly, seeing her son stir a bit. Her eyes returned to the road and locked on the billboard to the right advertising the Wolf House. It was only a few miles away...that left her with a few minutes. Kushina felt her eyes water up but held them in. There would be time to cry after he was gone.**

"Strong of her," Reyna said. Though it was the Navy, the woman _was_ a soldier and it was nice to see that in a mortal parent.

"Reminds me of my mom a bit..." Frank mumbled. Hazel gave him a comforting hug while Ares rolled his eyes.

"If you start cryin', I'll take back that boost, brat."

"I don't care." Frank mumbled.

Ares smirked. His respect for his Roman brat rose just a bit.

 **She pulled into the dark forested drive that would lead to the Wolf House and parked her car at the designated lot.**

 **"Come here, munchkin." Kushina said, unbuckling Naruto and pulling him out of the car. The tired blond yawned and rested his head on her shoulder while his arms went around her neck, making Kushina smile sadly and hug him tightly. "I love you, baby."**

 **"...love mommy." Naruto said through a yawn.**

Once more, the females of the audience cooed or smiled, he was so sweet.

The males either smiled slightly, looked indifferent, or (in Ares' case) gagged with a finger pointed at his throat while his tongue stuck out.

 **He was kissed on the head for that remark. Kushina shifted Naruto to her left hip so she could easily access her M9, which was loaded with a special clip filled with bronze tipped bullets, something Naruto's father said would come in handy. He had supplied the bronze and she made the bullets. Kushina just hoped she didn't have to use them.**

"I must say," Artemis said thoughtfully, "She is well armed."

Athena's lips pursed in disapproval. It would seem that Annabeth's father wasn't the first to do that with Celestial Bronze. Poseidon caught sight of her look and smirked at her, which earned him a glare in return.

 **Kushina walked into the wood, her nerves going wild and her eyes darting around. When they finally came across the Wolf Lodge, Naruto had finished waking up and had insisted on walking with her, his hand in hers.**

"Like a big boy." Annabeth teased Percy. He rolled his eyes, she was getting way into this.

 **They waited for a moment before from the shadows of the lodge came a large wolf that towered over Kushina, while Kushina herself barely made it to the wolf's shoulder. It had a beautiful chocolate red coat of fur and Kushina's purple eyes locked with two silver eyes that were unblinking.**

"There she is." Reyna said as Jason nodded.

"This should be good." The boy muttered.

Thalia locked her eyes sternly on the screen, curious to see how Lupa 'judged' the Roman demigods.

 **Still, she shuffled Naruto behind her and whipped her berretta out, taking aim.**

"Really taking a liking to this woman all over again." Artemis' smile slightly grew, not many had the courage to aim a weapon at Lupa.

Poseidon couldn't stop his wide grin, he certainly knew how to pick them.

 **"Well, well...what have we here?" the wolf asked, speaking like a human would with a female voice. Kushina wasn't too worried about that, considering the size of the wolf. The wolf chuckled. "Brave little human, aren't you?"**

"Yes she is." Athena muttered. Though she hated to admit it, as the woman was a Roman's lover, but she was slightly impressed herself.

 **"You're Lupa...The mother of Remus and Romulus?" Kushina said in return. She had brushed up on her Roman mythology over the course of the past three years.**

"Just like Mom," Percy said. Yep, his dad knew how to pick them alright.

 **A stick cracked and Kushina turned to lock her weapon on a wolf approaching from the left. A quick survey of her environment revealed to Kushina that she was surrounded.**

"Nine bullets," Apollo said with a deep voice. "Nine wolves."

"Apollo..."

"What? Sis, it _so_ needed to be said. Besides, if she could shoot like that, it would be so awesome!"

 **"I am. You're rather educated for a mortal, but that means nothing. Be gone, I must judge the child you've brought to my home." Lupa said with a scowl forming on her face. Kushina turned and locked the gun's barrel back on Lupa.**

"Momma no like that plan." Hermes whistled.

 **"I don't leave until I'm sure you won't kill him." Kushina said, her face stony. She heard Naruto mumbling as he clung to her leg, but couldn't make out his words. She dared a glance down and saw that he had picked up a rock.**

"Brave for a three year old." Reyna blinked in surprise.

"Going right for a weapon." Athena huffed. "As expected of the brute's loins."

"Damn right!" Poseidon grinned proudly and Percy beamed along with him. The sea didn't take things lying down!

 **"You dare defy me?" Lupa said, arching a brow. Kushina said nothing, her eyes conveying the emotions she felt. Lupa continued to stare until her mouth curled up into a smirk. "I like you, mortal.**

"Words you barely hear." Jason said with an amused smile. Lupa usually didn't like mortals, just demigods, and there was only a handful that she took a shine to.

 **Very well...bring him forward and I will judge him before you. If he is weak, I will kill the both of you so you don't have to suffer a mother's broken heart."**

"Gee, thanks," Percy said sarcastically. While he liked Lupa, she was a bit of a coldhearted bitch at times…and it had nothing to do with the fact she was a wolf.

 **"Gee, thanks." Kushina said, scowling. She slowly lowered her gun and crouched down, putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Go on, baby. Mommy's right here."**

"To load her full of bullets." Ares added. Athena was smiling at the idea. The two were surprisingly getting along well this time…was it a sign of the end?

 **Naruto looked at his mother then at what he dubbed 'big doggie' before shuffling out. He glanced back at Kushina, getting a nod from her, before walking openly up to Lupa. The 'big doggie's piercing gaze had him stopping in his tracks. Lupa sniffed him loudly, making him giggle at the brushing of air over his skin before she smirked.**

"If she didn't say she might kill him, that would be kind of cute." Thalia admitted.

"Agreed." Piper nodded, her lips pursed lightly.

 **"It's been a long time since I've had any seafood." Lupa said.**

"Oh come on, that was in poor taste." Poseidon frowned.

"Nonsense, it sounded rather accurate." Zeus smirked at the a scowl he got from his brother while Hades smirked lightly.

 **Kushina raised the handgun back up, aiming it at the she-wolf and cocked it, fully prepared to unload rounds of bronze-tipped bullets into the wolf goddess.**

 **"Over my dead body." Kushina said with her eyes dangerously narrowed.**

"Kushina agrees." Poseidon sniffed, good on her.

 **"It was only a joke, mortal." Lupa said dryly, making Kushina blink owlishly.**

"Lupa can joke?" Jason said in sheer surprise with raised brows and wide eyes. "That's…scary."

"Yeah, it's like Arte joking." Apollo nodded in agreement. He grunted at the punch he got in the arm.

 **She knew from Naruto's father that Roman's had a strange sense of humor, but still. Lupa smirked and released a throaty chuckle. "He will make a strong Roman. You may go."**

"No doubt like his brother." Reyna commented to the boy, who looked sheepish. Even if he wasn't Roman, he was actually eager to see his interactions with this Naruto.

 **"...C-Can I say goodbye?" Kushina asked as the weight of the reality of Naruto's acceptance hit her. She was fully prepared to shoot her way out of the forest and flee to the borders of the gods' reach with Naruto in tow. Now, she would have to leave her son,** ** _her baby_** **, to the goddess.**

 **Lupa gave Kushina a mild look of annoyance. "Mortals and their sentimentalities. Fine. Be quick about it."**

"Sorry for being human," Thalia said sarcastically.

"Technically, you're immortal, so does that still count?"

"Not the point, Jay."

 **Kushina nodded and holstered her gun, nearly rushing to Naruto as he walked back to her with a smile. She fell to her knees and pulled the toddler into a hug, kissing him on the head. She felt the tears pouring now, but didn't dare fight them back.**

"Boo!" Ares jeered. "Skip this crap already!"

"Ares," Hera frowned. How dare he mock a mother, that ungrateful brat. "Silence."

The war god frowned with crossed arms.

"Whatever." He mumbled.

 **"Mommy, don't be sad!" Naruto said, making her smile even wider. He was a really sweet boy, her son. She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs and kissed his head once more.**

 **"Mommy loves you, Naruto. Don't ever forget that, okay?" Kushina asked. Naruto nodded, getting another tight smile from her as she fought back openly sobbing. She reached around her neck, pulling off her dog tags and putting them around Naruto's neck. "Don't lose these, munchkin. They'll make sure you see Mommy again, okay?"**

"Aww, that sweet of her," Hestia smiled. It was somewhat heartbreaking to see this, and it was why she didn't enjoy the Roman training, even as Vesta. It was just too strict in her mind, or at least her Greek mindset.

 **"Okay Mommy." Naruto said. He initiated the hug, trying to make his mother's depression go away. Kushina hugged him back tightly, murmuring more sweet words to him. It was more for Kushina than it was for the poor confused blond boy.**

 **The wolf goddess' throat clearing told Kushina that she was out of time and regrettably let go of Naruto. She backed away as Lupa walked forward, towering over the toddler and sitting on her haunches. Wiping the tears away to look professional, Kushina couldn't help but feel a bit resentful of Lupa, who would be in a sense be taking her child from her.**

"Again, I know how you feel." Thalia frowned as Jason took her hand and squeezed it.

 **She watched the wolf goddess nuzzle Naruto's head and keep him in place before turning him around to go into the Wolf Lodge, leaving Kushina alone.**

 **"I love you, Naruto." Kushina said softly, watching the darkness of the lodge swallow Lupa's retreating form. She turned and left, silently vowing never to return to the place that should've stayed burnt to the ground.**

"It holds too many painful memories." Thalia guessed, she didn't like the place all that much either when she had to defend Hera.

 **"Wake, pup." Lupa said, nudging the toddler named Naruto with her paw. The blond boy blearily rolled onto his back and sat up with a yawn. Naruto rubbed at his eyes and looked around through a half-sleeping gaze for his mother. Lupa sensed this, having gone through with it a few times before, and sighed. Another rough breaking, it seemed.**

"Rough breaking to her is as blunt as a two by four." Percy muttered as he continued reading.

 **"Get up, pup." Lupa said, this time with more force. Naruto was awake at that, moving with a sharp turn, making his mother's dog tags clink together. Lupa paused at the sound of them. That would not do. She bent forward and bit the chain around Naruto's neck, pulling it off his head.**

"She didn't!" Hestia gasped with narrowed eyes. The other immortal mothers all looked just as unsettled as the Goddess of the Hearth along with the demigoddesses.

"Okay, that's pushing it." Artemis frowned. She'd have to remember to have a small...chat with Lupa.

 **That action certainly got the toddler's attention.**

 **"Mine!" Naruto said, reaching for the tags given to him. "Mine! Mine!"**

"My precious!" Leo began a Gollum impression, but got slapped by Piper. He hissed and held his cheek. "Ow, sorry."

"You'd better be." The Charmspeaker frowned. "Not cool. You should know better, Leo."

"Yeah, sorry...the other stories were a bit more lighthearted compared to this..." Leo mumbled.

 **"No." Lupa said with the chain in her mouth. She carried it over to a shelf where other small trinkets were and set it down. Seeing the dog tags being put away made Naruto react as any toddler would, he started to throw a fit.**

"Poseidon used to do that all the time" Hades stage whispered, which got him some snickers.

Poseidon flushed lightly. "I did not!"

"Oh yes you did," Hestia giggled when her younger brother started to brood at the betrayal.

 **Lupa was more than used to this and barked at him. "You will not cry! Your body is unharmed and your stomach is half-full!"**

"He's three!" Annabeth gaped at how mean the goddess was to a toddler.

"Do you see why I was so unwelcoming to them, Annabeth?" her mother sniffed. "Savages to their own children."

Reyna rolled her eyes at the anti-Roman comment, but said nothing. She figured there must be some lingering anger after millennia of insult.

 **"M-mine!" Naruto said in return. "Mommy gave me..."**

 **"You will have them back when I deem it time to give them back. Come, pup. Time to meet your pack mate. Jason!" Lupa said, her voice echoing in the room.**

"Finally," Thalia said with keen interest.

"Do we get to see little baby Jason?" Piper cooed to her boyfriend. A healthy flush crossed the face of the tall blond boy.

"Um…" the son of Rome stammered a bit.

 **Naruto, his eyes still a bit red, turned and looked as a boy his age, his eyes electric blue but otherwise looking similar to himself, walked over to them.**

"They're like little twins!" Hazel gushed while Piper and Thalia started to coo at little Jason. The boy in question buried his face in his hands.

"Kill me." He plead in a murmur. Percy gave him a pity pat on the shoulder. Now he knows how he felt whenever he appeared as a child.

"You know," Aphrodite giggled. "That's probably what their sons will look like~"

That got some blushes from the girls who had dated or held interest in Naruto in other universes and Piper, who was now looking at Jason with curious eyes.

"We already knew that, Dite." Apollo pointed out with a grin. "The name Bolt ring any bells?"

Thalia turned red and Zeus scowled while Aphrodite gasped.

"You're right! Yes! Universal fact three: his baby's babies are going to be adorable!"

"...Read, Percy Jackson, read." Artemis urged.

 **"Yes, Lupa?" Jason asked, tilting his head.**

 **The she-wolf nodded in Naruto's direction. "Meet your pack mate. Introduce yourself, pup."**

 **"Hi!" Naruto said, forgetting why he was crying with the new person here. "I'm Naruto."**

"Ah children, so fickle and easy to forget things." Hestia giggled, getting some laughs, too. It was true.

 **"Jason." Jason said, righting himself and then looking at Lupa. "He's new?"**

 **"Indeed." Lupa said, turning to leave the lodge. "Come, pups. Today I teach you to stalk."**

"So, what does she even teach?" Leo asked his friend.

"Just basics on how to survive and some fighting skills. The rest you really learn from the Legion." Jason answered.

"I see," Thalia muttered, glaring at the screen a bit.

 **Jason nodded and followed, Naruto hurrying after him so as not to be left behind. Lupa led them into the woods, Naruto being sniffed at by the wolves that waited for them. He giggled at the ticklish sniffs before hurrying at the 'big doggie's bark of his name.**

"I think she has a stick up her butt."

"Thalia," Jason frowned, he liked Lupa.

"She isn't wrong." Athena said as Artemis gave a wishy-washy motion of her hand. She kind of agreed with her wise sister, even by her standards.

 **Lupa had them crawl through the dirt, though she growled when Naruto tried to stop and play with some mud. That was kind of mean of her if you asked him.**

"Very mean," Hazel giggled. "Oh man, why does he have to be such a cute little boy?"

"Because Naruto is all about the cute." Piper shrugged. Jason looked at her and she arched a brow. "What? It's like Percy and the seal thing."

"What seal?" Percy frowned. Jason just waved him off

"That would be a waste of time," Reyna pointed out as Hazel rolled her gold eyes.

"He's three."

"He's a demigod."

"He's my brother and I'm tryin' to read." Percy cut in, a tad annoyed with all the interruptions.

 **"Walk softly, pups. Let the grass conceal you. Blend." Lupa instructed. Naruto looked to Jason, who shrugged and began tip-toing until Lupa growled. "Walk, Jason. Do not pretend to be something you aren't."**

"Yeah, walk like a person Jason, honestly." Thalia sighed out and her little brother grumbled to himself with crossed arms.

 **The two boys shared another look before walking through the grass. Lupa continued to instruct them, giving them tips until they were able to properly stalk through the grass like a wolf. She rewarded the both of them by taking them on a hunt with her pack, showing the two 'pups' how to work as one unit. It would be a lesson that the two would take to the grave together.**

"Teamwork, yeah!" Leo pumped his fist.

"Go team!" Piper added.

Jason pouted at them, it was a good lesson!

 **"Come here, bunny. Come here, come here..." the voice of a small boy said into a hole under a tree. Naruto sat back with a frown, his brows creasing together and the wheels in his head turning.**

"Incredibly slow no doubt."

"Athena!" Hestia glared. "Really, mocking a small child?"

"…Sorry." The goddess admitted, but it was hard not to say something on it.

"Thank you, Hestia." Poseidon smirked at Athena while Hestia nodded at him.

 **He grinned and put his face into the hole once more, giving a savage and well replicated wolf-like growl, forcing the rabbit to exit through the second opening right into another blond boy's arms.**

 **"Got him! Ow!" Jason said, adjusting his hold on the struggling rabbit after it bit him on the arm.**

"That hurts like you would not believe." Jason winced.

"Really?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"Dude, have you not seen their teeth?"

 **He winced with each kick of the bunny's leg. "Sorry, but we need to eat and you're all we could find."**

"Aw, saying sorry to the poor bunny."

"Shut up, Thalia." Jason pouted, killing a little bunny was a big deal for a little kid. He had to do it on his own.

 **"At least it's not spring." Naruto said, getting a nod of agreement from his friend.**

 **The two of them swiftly ended the unfortunate rabbit's misery, taking it back to their makeshift camp just a few miles into the forest from the Wolf House. A few weeks ago, Lupa had said she had prepared them as best she could and sent them out from the Wolf House to a place called Camp Jupiter.**

"That's nice of her," Thalia said darkly. What was her brother now? Four years old?

"It's how it is." Jason told her.

"Well, it's dumb." The hunter huffed. She didn't like it at all.

 **Before she kicked them out, Lupa finally returned Naruto's dog tags, which he proudly wore around his neck.**

"About time," Hestia said firmly.

 **Jason had gotten a gold coin that was left on the shelf.**

"I miss that coin." Jason pouted, Juno's Gladius was good and all, but lugging it around…the coin was far more functional.

 **Jason started the fire easily while Naruto prepared the rabbit to be cooked. Within minutes, they were eating cooked rabbit, dousing the fire and looking up at the faded stars.**

"That's pretty skillful for little kids," Frank said with a blink.

"Yeah, little kids with fire. That's _always_ a good thing." Thalia sarcastically remarked.

"I know it was for me."

"Shut up, Leo."

 **"There's the North Star." Naruto said, pointing the star out. "Lupa said the camp was just a bit to the east and south."**

 **"So we go...that way." Jason said, bringing his finger down from the star to the direction of where they were supposed to go.**

"No one ever uses the stars anymore." Artemis frowned as Hermes snickered.

"Artemis, it's called GPS."

"…But still!"

 **"Yep." Naruto said, sighing as he laid back and tossed the remains of his food to the woods for a scavenger to finish up. He wrapped his hand around the two larger tags on his necklace, frowning as he looked at the name imprinted on it.**

"I feel for ya kid." Percy frowned, he would miss his mom too if he ended up like that.

 **"What are those anyway?" Jason asked.**

 **"Dog tags." Naruto said, getting a rock thrown at his arm. "Ow! They are!"**

"Jason!" Thalia scolded with a glare. "Really, throwing rocks?"

"Seriously, you're going to scold me now?"

"Well, I couldn't then!"

 **"I know that! What do they say?" Jason asked, frowning at his friend.**

 **"Kushina Uzumaki. They're my mommy's." Naruto said, rubbing his thumb over the name. "I remember her a bit...kind of. Red hair. That's all I get. And this happy feeling in my chest."**

"That's love dear," Aphrodite smiled sweetly.

 **"I don't remember my mommy." Jason said softly.**

"Hope you never do." Thalia scowled and Jason sighed.

He probably shouldn't mention that he met their mother's spirit.

 **"I remember a girl, though. Her name was Ta...Ta, something. All I know is that it started with a T. She was really nice to me."**

Thalia's chest tightened, so he did remember, but couldn't remember her name? It was both kind and painful to the immortal girl.

"Sorry." Jason muttered to her, but she shook her head.

"Hey, as long as you remembered me in some way, it's fine."

 **"...I miss my mommy." Naruto said, still looking at the dog tags. His green eyes hardened as he clenched his fingers around them. "I'm gonna find her after we get to the camp."**

"Yeah," Percy said to Jason. "What about the parents?"

"That's a whole other thing." Jason sighed. "It would take a while to explain."

"And we'd rather hear the story, go on Percy." His father urged.

 **"I'll help you." Jason said, making Naruto sit up a bit to look at him. Jason smiled at his friend, the cut on his lip curling a bit. "We're pack-brothers, right? We stick together and we can do anything."**

"Aww," Thalia and Piper cooed teasingly, the latter pinched her boyfriend's cheek. Jason flustered in embarrassment. Geez, his rep was going down!

 **"Yeah!" Naruto said in agreement. Looking back at the sky, his smile died down a bit. "Do you think we'll find out who our dads are?"**

 **"Probably. Lupa said so." Jason said. "Bet my dad's cooler than yours."**

"He is," Zeus said quickly as Poseidon snorted.

"Ha, you wish!"

"I know!"

"Please!"

"Oh, that's enough! Honestly, the both of you." Hera glared at her husband and brother. "Like children!"

"They are." Hades commented. He smirked and ignored the glares from his brothers.

 **"Nuh-uh! My dad could probably kick your dad's butt!"**

"He could not." Zeus mumbled.

 **"Yeah right!"**

 **"He could so!"**

"Atta boy." The sea god grinned.

 **"Could not!"**

 **They spiraled off into the playful argument before Naruto pounced on his pack-brother, both of them tumbling around in a fight before separating when Naruto slammed Jason into the ground.**

 **"Ha! I win!" Naruto said, sitting on his friend's chest.**

"Little Jay just got owed by little Naruto."

"Leo!" Jason said, looking betrayed. Leo looked at him and pointed his thumb at the screen.

"The _Lion King_ beat down don't lie dude."

Jason pouted.

 **"Get off!" Jason said, pushing the taller blond off of him. Naruto smirked at Jason, making the boy roll his blue eyes. "Whatever. So you won, big deal. Still bet my dad could beat your dad."**

"What a very Zeus-like thing to say." Hades smirked. "You lose and then say something else to make yourself feel better."

Zeus fumed at that and glared at his eldest brother, but he dared not retort since Hestia was looking at him challengingly.

 **"We'll just have to wait and see." Naruto said, smirking as he looked at the night sky. "I'll watch first tonight."**

 **"Yeah, okay." Jason said, rolling onto his side. "Night, Nar."**

 **"Night Jay."**

"Aww, little nicknames~" Aphrodite cooed.

Jason groaned. He wanted to hide in a hole somewhere.

 **Naruto and Jason made some good distance the next morning, wandering into a small town at the crack of dawn and avoiding any suspicion by playing at a playground for a while...Okay, they got distracted, but could you blame them? They were four.**

"Perfect place to hide if you're a kid." Leo nodded.

"So incognito~" Piper teased Jason, who crossed his arms and pouted.

Percy had a small smirk on his face. Finally, the Golden Boy felt his pain.

 **As the sun started to set, Naruto and Jason left their new friends, claiming to be going home, when they would actually start taking note of where food would be sold.**

"Devious little things you two are." Annabeth noted with a sly smile.

"Oh come on, not you too!"

 **When the sun was down and the streetlights were on, they took short hour and a half long naps, getting some energy before the middle of the night came.**

"Aww, does Jay need his little nappy-poo?"

"Shut up Leo!"

"He would sleep all the time, seriously."

"Thalia, I was two!"

"A lazy two-year-old is what you were."

Jason threw his hands up. He couldn't win with these people.

 **In the dark of night, the two blonds set out for supplies. Their first target was food, so they hit up the small gas station on the corner of the street.**

"Couple of street thugs in diapers. Straight outta daycare."

"Nico." Jason groaned, so not cool.

Nico shrugged and smirked while Apollo laughed at the play on a song verse.

 **"Door's locked." Jason said, walking back from trying the doors and windows to Naruto's seat on the curb. "So are the windows."**

"They tend to be." Frank pointed out as Jason glared at him.

"We're kids raised by a goddess, social norms are not our thing."

"Meh, excuses." The Canadian shrugged.

Jason was starting to understand why Zeus blasted first and asked questions never.

 **"Okay. So now what? I'm hungry." Naruto said, picking a rock up and tossing it into the street. Jason rolled his eyes. Naruto was a vacuum when it came to food, and yet none of it showed. The boy was just always hungry.**

"He has my appetite." Poseidon chuckled in pride.

"It's the reason the fork was model after the Trident." Hermes winked at the demigods, who laughed along with the sea god.

 **"Well we could break in by smashing a window, but then the cops might show up." Jason said.**

"Bad boys, bad boys." Leo sung.

"What'cha gonna do? What'cha gonna do? What'cha gonna do when they come for you." Hermes and Apollo chorused.

 **"How do you know?" Naruto asked, weighing the rock in his hand. It was prime material to throw it into a window.**

"There's that Roman violence streak."

"Athena, enough." Hera groaned, they got it the first few times!

The wisdom goddess huffed. It would never be enough.

 **"I just do." Jason said, shrugging. He always had a keen idea on what was right and wrong.**

"Justice." Zeus grinned proudly at his Roman son.

 **"Weird." Naruto said. He rocked back and got to his feet, still holding his rock.**

"Rebellion!" Poseidon beamed and Zeus scowled.

 **"What are you doing?"**

 **"Getting food."**

 **"What?!" Jason asked, doing a double take just as Naruto pulled his hand back. "No, wait!"**

 **"But...But I'm hungry, Jay." Naruto said, pouting at his friend.**

"Food…possibly _blue_ food."

"Percy," Annabeth said slowly. "He isn't you. He clearly likes Roman."

"I'll introduce him to blue food." The son of the sea decided sternly with a fire in his eyes. "The torch must be passed!"

 **"There could be an access on the roof." Jason said.**

 **"...That'll take too long!" Naruto said.**

Leo looked at his friend. "What, do you have a rope or something in your Huggies?"

"We could just climb it."

"And break your necks." Thalia told her brother with a disappointed shake of her head.

 **"We have all night, Nar."**

 **"But we could hit more shops if we just break the window!"**

 **"...True...Rock, Paper, Scissors?"**

"Best way to figure out anything these days." Apollo snickered.

"...New idea-"

"No, Poseidon." Zeus scowled at his brother.

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"I said no!"

 **"You're on!"**

 **Naruto won, much to Jason's dismay.**

"Guess he's still lucky." Hazel noted with a smirk as Jason groaned. Great, this did not bode well for his other.

"Yet another Universal fact…" Leo mumbled.

 **Unfortunately, there was an alarm, but fortunately, Naruto and Jason were quick enough to break in and out before the cops showed up. The two retreated to the woods, finding shelter beneath a fallen tree. The wind was warm, favoring their fragile bodies that were protected by thin old clothes, and giving them enough of a breeze to start another fire.**

"Nice going kids." Hermes praised with thumbs up. "Especially you, Jason. If you ever want lessons, just ask."

"No," Thalia and Hera said as one, making them glare at each other.

"I'll pass," Jason said wisely, not wanting to incur the wrath of his sister and matron.

 **"Ugh, I can't read any of this!" Naruto said, annoyed as he tossed one of the small yellow bags with a red circle on it to the side. "How are we supposed to know what we can cook if we can't read it!?"**

"Dyslexic plus never learning to read from Lupa, not fun." Jason sighed, it was kinda hard to learn stuff from the older kids of the Legion, but he managed it.

"You have some killer vocabulary, though." Annabeth pointed out.

"We're probably speaking in Latin." Jason shrugged. Dead though it may be, he knew it by heart. "Lupa taught the language to me since I had trouble with English sometimes."

"Huh...interesting."

"At least you got some Lays." Percy said, chips plus one.

 **"We could always open them and find out what's in them." Jason suggested as he shook a green can. He was listening for what it held and was pleased to hear a liquid. "I got drinks!"**

"Watch as its alcohol." Dionysus said with an amused smirk. The gods and demigods laughed, snorted, snickered or smirked while the goddesses and demigoddesses glared at him or scowled in disapproval.

 **"Cool...how do you open it?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Uh..." Jason looked over the can, turning it around and running his thumb over the red M on the side before looking on the top. "Maybe you tug this thing off?"**

"Phew, Mountain Dew." Jason sighed out, lucky him. Still abstaining strong.

"You'll be up all night with that." Thalia frowned in sisterly disapproval.

"Thalia." Jason groaned. "Stop babying me. Now."

"I promise nothing.

 **"Give it here." Naruto said, being the stronger of the two. They discovered this when Naruto stopped a tree from falling on Jason during their training a few months back after a storm.**

"Wait, what?" The demigods shared an unanimous owlish blink.

"He has super strength?" Percy asked aloud.

"All of the other Naruto's do as well." Hera noted. Leo wrote down another Universal fact.

"Yeah, but..." Percy looked to his dad. "Why him?"

"Well, if you had gotten it, Mr. High-And-Mighty and his doorman of a son probably would've cried copyright infringement." Poseidon said, smirking as Zeus glared at him. The sea god turned his attention back to his son. "So, why not do something fresh and have a Roman with super strength?"

"...I feel a bit gipped." Percy mumbled.

"You're already broken enough as it is," Annabeth said consolingly.

"...Still gipped."

"Just read, Seaweed Brain."

 **Naruto only suffered a few splinters from the bark, but the discovery had him working on control over this whenever he could.**

 **Jason handed the can over and Naruto gripped one edge of the can before ripping it open...and getting sprayed by the contents.**

"I so saw that coming," Percy laughed with the others. "Nice one Jason."

"That was an accident." Jason sheepishly rubbed his neck.

 **Jason enjoyed this immensely, falling to his back in laughter while the sticky drink dripped off of Naruto's face. The taller blond boy glared at his laughing friend.**

"Ooh, someone's mad." Frank snickered as Hazel held his arm while laughing.

"I think Naruto is one for payback." Leo mused. He wrote down 'Prankster of Vengeance' on his list.

 **"Very funny." Naruto said, grabbing another can and shaking it as fast as he could before aiming it at Jason. He ripped the top off and showered the laughing boy in the liquid. "Not so funny now, is it?"**

"A swift counter." Reyna commented, which got Jason to frown at her.

"Whose side are you on?"

"The blond one's."

"...Oh now you have a sense of humor?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've always had a sense of humor."

 **"Nar! Naruto! Stop!" Jason said as he was caked in the soda. When it died he glared at the snickering boy. "Funny. Now we're down two drinks, idiot!"**

"I sense another argument coming." Hades groaned.

"Just like their fathers." Hera rolled her eyes as the fathers in question frowned at her. Or to be more accurate, pouted and brooded respectively.

 **"You started it!"**

 **"It was an accident!"**

 **"Nuh-uh!"**

 **"Yeah it was!"**

"They're really just like you two when we started out." Hestia giggled. The two gods looked put out at her comment and the demigods snickered in agreement.

 **So began another scuffle between the two boys. Jason turned victorious that night and took the first watch after dinner of potato chips and the soda they managed to steal. It was just another night for the two demigods and thankfully, it was a peaceful one. They would need the rest for the coming morning.**

"And that isn't ominous at all," Leo said.

 **"What did you do?!" Jason asked as they ran from the angry monster that chased them.**

"Yep, not ominous at all."

"Of course it would be the sea brat's fault." Zeus scoffed as Poseidon glared at him.

 **It was a mean giant pig, two large horns coming out from next to its snout. Its' speed was hindered by the trees.**

 **"Why do you always blame me?!" Naruto asked in return.**

"See?" Poseidon defended his boy.

 **"Because you always do something! What did you do?!"**

 **"I just poked it with a stick!"**

Zeus gave his brother a smirk that made the sea god wisely shut his mouth as a snicker escaped Percy's lips. He'd do that, too.

 **"I sincerely doubt that!"**

 **"What does sincerely mean?"**

"Yeah Jay," Piper snickered. "You're four, save the big boy words for a few more years."

"Piper!"

 **"It means...Never mind what it means! Why did you poke it!?"**

 **"I was bored!"**

Annabeth turned to her boyfriend. "No poking things when bored, okay?"

"Ha, ha." Percy said with a dry laugh and went back into the book.

 **"And you never once thought that could be a bad idea!?"**

 **"It took a lot of pokes!"**

"That's an excellent _point_." Frank laughed with Hazel as Percy rolled his eyes.

"You're a real comedian, Frank."

"I try."

 **"I don't care! Keep running!" Jason groaned at his friend's obliviousness. Naruto was not the sharpest tool in the shed at times.**

All eyes turned to Percy and he glared back at them.

"You people suck, seriously."

"Not our fault if it's true, Wethead Wonder." Thalia mocked with a snort.

 **He was far too easy going for his own good, but had a temper at times.**

"Like his father." Athena commented. Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"I've gotten much better over the years, until like Miss Hubris."

Athena shot him a look, and he returned it.

 **And once again, like that time Naruto tried to take back his dog tags before Lupa stopped him. Jason could've sworn that the ground shook with Naruto's tantrum.**

"Joy," Hades said dryly. "Now I have to deal with your brat shaking my location every time he doesn't get a cookie."

"Ramen." Nico corrected.

"Whatever."

 **Squeal!**

 **Jason was torn out of his small memories by the giant pig's threatening call. The two four year olds continued to run while the relatively car-sized boar chased after them until a tree blocked their path.**

"I wonder which one that is?" Artemis mused curiously.

 **The boys tumbled over it, Jason's coin flying out of his pocket as he landed roughly on his arm while Naruto fell into a roll, rolling down a hill into the small river at the bottom.**

"Nice," Percy and Jason said. Percy for Naruto getting into the water and Jason for his coin flying in the air, no doubt flipping.

 **Jason shielded his eyes as the coin shone in the air, transforming into a gold sword that landed imbedded in the ground. Jason felt the tremor of the ground as the boar approached and he scrambled to his feet, running as fast as he could to his sword and pulling it out of the ground as he rushed to his friend's aide.**

"Fight on, Jason!" Reyna cheered for the young boy.

"He's _four_." Piper told the Roman war girl.

"He is a Roman, he has a sword, thus he can fight." She argued like it was that simple.

"...He's _four_!" Thalia heatedly protested.

"Age is but a detail."

 **Naruto sank into the water, his eyes going wide and his mouth opening with a gasp as it entered his lungs. Unlike with normal human physiology, Naruto didn't immediately start to drown. Instead he felt empowered. Like he could do anything he wanted.**

"Whoo, go my boy!" Poseidon cheered for his Roman son.

 **Including stopping the bad pig chasing him and his friend.**

"So, who wants some bacon?" Percy asked, getting raised hands from most of the demigods.

Piper scowled. "Disgusting."

 **Naruto instinctively shot out of the water, dripping wet as he glared at the approaching boar. Jason reached out to grab him, but Naruto slipped through his grasp, rushing forward and bringing his small fist back.**

"Here it comes, super water boost super strength punch attack!"

"…You are never allowed to name anything, ever." Annabeth deadpanned and Percy looked sheepish.

"Does that include your children?" Piper asked innocently and the couple flushed. She smirked when they glared at her.

 **"Leave us alone!" Naruto said, driving his fist forward and impacting with the end of the pig's snout.**

"Please, like that thing will get much distance." Ares waved off.

 **There was a loud boom as the pig soared back, and several smaller ones from the trees being knocked down by the flying boar.**

Athena turned to her brother with a smirk.

"You were saying?" she asked.

"Supporting Romans now, Minerva?" The war god quickly mocked back and his sister scowled at him for the Minerva remark.

 **The noise got the distant attention of a certain guardian, but it mostly made Jason look at his friend in shock. Naruto also looked very surprised by what he had just done.**

 **"Nar...how'd you do that?" Jason asked as he got to his feet, holding the sword nearly as long as he was tall with ease.**

"And you look so adorable with it." Piper teased, making Jason palm his face. Honestly, it had to be his size.

 **"I...I don't know." Naruto said honestly. He shrugged, the water rolling off of him easily. He opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by the angry squeal. "Uh oh."**

"Run boys, that piggy's hungry!" Ares laughed.

"Like another pig." Artemis snorted.

"Yep!" Ares made a leg of goat appear in his hand. It vanished before he could take a bite and he glared at Hestia, who scowled at him.

"Don't be crude."

"Whatever."

 **"My turn." Jason said as he stepped up, prepared to return the favor Naruto did him by punching the boar, and readied his sword. He held it above his head, waiting like Lupa taught him before he struck. The boar squealed as it approached and Jason brought his sword down, slicing right into its skull and turning the boar to dust, leaving behind two tusks.**

"Nice little Jay!" Thalia praised as Jason smiled too.

 **A scratch that looks like a bolt marked one and the other had been chipped, leaving three tips.**

"One can only wonder what those mean." Hades rolled his eyes.

 **"Cool..." Naruto said, seeing the giant pig disappear into golden dust with awe written on his face. Jason bent over and picked the two tusks up, walking back to his friend with the three tipped tusk offered.**

"How'd he know?" Annabeth asked.

"Instinct," Zeus said smugly. It was his son who got the kill after all.

 **"Here, take it." Jason said. Naruto did, looking over the tusk with interest before Jason gasped. Looking at his friend, Naruto then followed the pointed finger to where it was pointing. Beyond the river was a large wall, two doors facing them.**

"Welcome to New Rome," Reyna said with a smirk. It was about time they got there.

 **"...What do you think that is?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Might be the camp." Jason said.**

 **"Really?" Naruto said, arching a brow and scratching his cheek in thought. "I always thought of a camp as more...campy."**

"The brochures were a lie," Percy said. The Greeks snickered at that and the Roman's frowned.

 **"It's worth looking." Jason said, walking forward and immediately sinking in the riverbed, causing him to land face first in the water.**

"Oops," Poseidon said sheepishly as his brother glared at him heatedly.

 **He was pulled out by Naruto and once he finished gasping up what felt liked gallons of water asked. "Wh-What was that!?"**

Poseidon just whistled innocently when Jason looked at him with wide eyes.

 **"That was weird." Naruto said.**

 **"Let's see if we can find a bridge." Jason said. "I'd rather not drown."**

"Poseidon!"

"It was an accident!"

 **The two boys walked around the water, Naruto occasionally stepping in to enjoy the water – something Jason was a bit envious of – and after a while of walking, they found a small bridge with a statue at the other side of it outside another set of doors.**

"Terminus, great." Percy groaned, while his help was nice, the dude was over strict.

 **They shared a look and a grin, bursting into a run and racing across the bridge. Jason just barely managed to beat Naruto to the doors.**

 **"Halt!" The two blonds jumped at the sudden shout. They looked at the statue that was looking right at them. "What brings two children to Camp Jupiter?!"**

"What other reason you idiot statue?" Athena mocked, honestly, as if seeing a talking statue wasn't a giveaway to mortals, even with Hecate using the Mist.

 **"This is the camp?" Naruto asked, sharing a grin with Jason. "It only took us a month! Lupa so owes us some deer."**

"It took me longer." Percy muttered with a pout.

"Wow, lose direction dude?" Leo asked.

"Shut up, Leo."

 **"Yeah!" Jason said, high fiving his friend.**

 **"Lupa sent you two? Children? Ha! I'll have bedded a Greek before...**

"Wow, way to break the hush-hush rule, Terminus." Frank deadpanned, so much for rules.

"He never said they existed in the East, just mentioned their existence. It was a rather common insult back in the day," Apollo said informatively.

"Oh."

 **What's that in your hand?" the statue asked.**

 **"These? These are tusks from some mean pig."**

"Yeah, a big meanie face!" Hazel giggled. This was really fun.

 **"Nar, the pig was mean because you woke it up!"**

 **"Oh come on, we killed it didn't we?"**

"Like real wee heroes," Leo said in a squeaky voice. Piper playfully pushed him.

 **"Quiet!" the statue said, his order getting the bantering blonds to become just that. "I am Terminus, guardian of Camp Jupiter. Name yourselves and present to me your trophies."**

 **"...What?" Naruto asked.**

"Definitely slow like Percy."

"Nico, go drown."

"Nah, I'm good."

 **Terminus sighed. "Tell me your name and show me the tusk."**

 **"Ohh...why didn't you just say that?" Naruto asked.**

"Yeah, they're kids. Simple words Mr. Stiff." Leo mock scolded.

"Well, Jason did use 'sincerely'," Piper said with a smile to her boyfriend. "He's a special boy."

"Yes, which is why he tried to eat that stapler."

"Thalia!" Jason groaned.

 **"Just...You, boy with the cut on his lip. What is your name?" Terminus asked.**

 **"Oh, um. I'm Jason Grace." Jason said, then holding his tusk up. As he did, the sky darkened and there were a few booms from the clouds. Terminus looked up with wide eyes.**

"Is that a Roman claiming?" Annabeth asked Jason curiously and he nodded. "Huh, I think the glowing holograms are cooler."

"We're Greek," Hermes snickered. "We're always cooler."

The Romans looked ready to disagree with that statement, but settled for just displeased frowns crossing their faces.

 **"Oh my...Welcome, welcome. Welcome Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, lord of the sky and king of Olympus." Terminus said.**

"Suck up." Nico coughed and cleared his throat when Reyna glared at him. "Sorry, had something stuck in my throat."

"Uh-huh."

 **He looked at the other boy. "And you are?"**

 **"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto said, raising his own tusk. Unlike Jason, Naruto nearly fell over after he raised his trophy. Terminus' already wide eyes widened to plate sized proportions as the ground shook.**

"And that's not going to bring any bad luck to the kid at all." Frank muttered.

Poseidon frowned. It wasn't his fault the Romans were such scaredy-cats.

 **"...No...Not another one." Terminus said softly.**

"Whiney little bitch." Ares rolled his eyes behind his shades.

 **Naruto heard it and frowned, not understanding what he meant.**

"You won't until you're discriminated that is." Percy pointed out helpfully.

"He's Naruto," Annabeth pointed out, "I think he'll redeem the name on his own."

"...But I did that." Percy pouted while Leo added yet another Universal fact, simplifying it as 'discriminated by people'.

"And I still thank you Percy." His father grinned, getting one back from his son.

 **Before the poor boy could ask, Terminus cleared his throat and a look of distaste was on his face. "Welcome Naruto Uzumaki, son of Neptune, lord of the sea."**

"The Quaker-Shaker himself." Zeus jeered as he was glared at by Poseidon.

 **"Ha! I knew it! My dad's more awesome than yours, Jay!" Naruto said despite the silence that.**

"No," Jason said childishly.

 **Jason just palmed himself in the face.**

"Wow, even four-year-old Jason can do that." Leo said in awe as his friend glared at him.

"I had to learn early on and prepare myself for you." Jason shot back.

"Ouch."

 **His friend was an idiot sometimes.**

"I know the feeling." Jason nodded. Leo frowned.

Percy smirked. "Well, that was awesome."

"Indeed it was." Poseidon smirked as well. "I can't wait to see what he does in the future."

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_** **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **II**

"I'll go next," Jason said to Percy. He was a bit eager to see more, hopefully not get anymore embarrassed than he already was.

"Alright," Percy said. He handed the book over and settled back into his seat to enjoy.

 **"Enter." Terminus said to the two boys, the gates of the camp slowly opening out to them. Once they were open, the statue continued. "Go to the Praetors' Chambers. They await you and you will address them appropriately. Timothy, from the First Cohort, son of Mars**

"Whoo!" Ares cheered like a frat boy. Frank cheered alongside him, showing no shame as he did.

 **and Rachel, also from the First, daughter of Victoria."**

"Talk about prestigious leaders." Reyna nodded in approval.

"No kidding," Piper said with a small blink. She turned to her boyfriend. "Were they your real predecessors?"

"No." Jason sighed. "It is a good combo, though. That sort of parentage meant for a good few years of service."

"You guys are _way_ too superstitious," Leo said with a roll of his eyes.

 **"Rache and Timmy, got it." Naruto said.**

"…I can just tell this one will have issues." Reyna commented, but there was an amused smile on her face.

 **The two guards posted on the outside of the gate snorted in amusement while Jason tilted his head at them. He missed their presence, and so did Naruto by his fellow blond's reaction to their noise. Lupa would be disappointed in that.**

Jason shivered. "Oh yeah she would."

"You're four." Piper reminded him.

"So?"

 **Terminus rolled his eyes and looked at the guards.**

 **"Take them, keep it quiet and don't disrupt anything unless absolutely necessary." He said. The guards nodded and the taller guard turned.**

"So bossy." Percy groaned.

 **"Follow me." He said, leading the sons of Jupiter and Neptune through the camp to the Praetors' Chambers. Naruto saw several other Terminus statues as he looked around. All of them were either holding different conversations with other kids older than the two blonds, or they were barking out orders.**

"I know," Hazel nodded. "It's very weird at first."

 **Either way, it baffled Naruto how all of the statues were alive. Naruto was forced to stop walking when he walked right into the stopped form of his guide.**

"There's Poseidon's clumsiness. Interesting, and here I thought Percy Jackson would be the only one to have that." Athena smirked when Poseidon and Percy glared or frowned at her respectively.

 **"Ow! Why'd you stop!?" he asked the guard, getting a smirk from him.**

 **"Wait here." He said, going up the steps into the large building they were stopped outside.**

 **"Meanie." Naruto said, repeating a word he heard another child use.**

"They are very mean," Percy said with a nod of agreement.

 **"He's just doing his job." Jason said, making Naruto frown.**

"Of course. Even as a little kid, Jason would be the voice of reason." Leo rolled his eyes.

"Someone has to be." Jason pointed out.

"Psh, we're demigods. Reason is overrated."

 **"Doesn't mean he gets to be mean."**

"He's got a point, Jason."

"Not really, Percy."

 **Before Jason could retort, the guard returned and towered over the two. "The Praetors and the Augur will see you now. Follow me."**

"I wonder who the Augur is." Percy scowled.

"Octavian wasn't even there yet, Percy." Jason pointed out.

"Still…"

"Yes," Reyna sighed. "He did give the title a bad name."

"Understatement of the century." Apollo snorted. He blamed his legacy's smooth tongue on his current punishment, even if Zeus was the one who overreacted.

 **They walked up the steps, following the guard as he entered the large building. Statues of tall men and women surrounded them, empty spaces where other statues could be outnumbering the amount of currently occupied ones. Naruto was in awe, openly gaping at them as his poor unfocused mind tried to take them all in.**

"It is very cool." Jason nodded along with the others as the gods beamed, even if Roman statues, it was still them.

 **Jason stopped Naruto this time before the son of Neptune could walk into the guard again. Both boys stood at attention before the Praetors.**

 **"So, these are the two that have caused Terminus to nearly pass a cow?" The amused male Praetor, Timothy, asked, a thick Texan drawl in his voice. He was tall, muscular and brutishly handsome. His head was shaved down to the skin and two hard brown eyes with a bit of malice in them looked over the two blond boys.**

"…Wow, Frank didn't seem like that at all at first." Percy whistled as the not so husky anymore. The Canadian glared at him.

"Thank you, Percy."

"I try."

 **"I don't see what makes them so impressive."**

"Say what?" Jason asked with narrowed eyes.

 **"Think, Tim. You have a brain in there somewhere." The other Praetor, Rachel, said, also looking over the boys.**

"If he's a son of Mars, then yes." Frank nodded, getting Ares to glare at him for that remark.

 **She was a beautiful teenage girl with chocolate colored skin and dark hair that cascaded down over her shoulders. Light forest green eyes looked over the boys with an impressed glaze to them.**

"She's hot," Leo said with a grin. Apollo grinned at the pun.

"You say that about every pretty face."

"So?" The pyro asked Piper.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"...I can admire beauty, Piper. Geez."

"Pig." Thalia scoffed.

 **"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, and Naruto Uzumaki, son of Neptune. Two sons of the two kings on Olympus' council, what does this mean for our camp?"**

"Good things." Jason said. He had a feeling of who Naruto was and he knew what he would be capable of.

 **"We could ask our resident Augur." Tim said, snorting at the title.**

"Show some respect you little brat." Apollo frowned as Ares snickered.

 **Rachel rolled her eyes and looked to the left at the girl that walked over to them. Naruto and Jason followed her gaze and looked at the girl just twice their age, but still very beautiful. A long blonde braid fell over one shoulder while two light blue eyes looked at the son of the sky and the son of the sea. She hummed for a moment before smiling pleasantly.**

"…Why couldn't we have _her_ as our Augur?" Hazel groaned. "She looks like such a nice person. Just at a glance you can tell!"

"Because we have terrible luck?" Frank said, and that got some nods from the other Romans.

And Percy.

 **"A son of Jupiter is a gift of great fortune, but combined with a son of the Earthshaker, quite the mixed signal." She said, her voice light.**

"Very mixed, this signal is." Apollo said with a nod. He grimaced when Artemis frowned at him.

"Stop. Using. That. Voice." She growled.

 **Her smile hadn't died once as she continued. "But, I believe two strong additions to the Legion are given to us, nothing more and nothing less. Lupa would've never let a threat come to camp."**

 **"They're weak." Tim said, frowning. His words had Naruto scowling and Jason glaring at the son of Mars.**

"They're four!" Annabeth exclaimed in outrage. "What does he want? Would he like them to be tiny little buff boys?"

Percy snickered at the thought along with the other demigods.

Ares stroked his chin. "You know..."

"It's physically impossible and not to mention _bad_ for their growth," Apollo said. Athena nodded along with him.

Ares scoffed. Spoilsports.

 **"Of course they're weak." Rachel said, shaking her head. "Think, Tim. Think.**

"Guess Mars' children aren't that smart after all." Athena said, which caused Frank to frown at her.

 **They are blank slates to be sculpted into the pinnacle of Roman men."**

"Hoorah!" the Romans cheered before they burst into laughter.

 **"Show them the tusks." The guard said softly to Jason during the Praetor's argument, prompting him to show Rachel his trophy. Naruto quickly followed Jason's example, raising his chipped tusk eagerly in front of Tim.**

"Suck it, Tim."

"Percy, that's my brother," Frank said.

"So? He can still suck it."

 **"What're these?" Tim asked, taking the tusks and looking them over. "Ivory. Thirty years by the weight. Monster from the smell...A son of Ermy's boar."**

 **"The** ** _Erymanthian_** **Boar? Not an easy feat." Rachel said,**

"The son of that thing?" Percy blinked along with Thalia. Wow, their little brothers did good work.

 **making Tim's brow crinkle in thought. "Do you see? They show potential. Lupa must have foreseen it."**

"Hey, hey, _I'm_ the Seer here." Apollo frowned. "Lupa has no such gift, thank you very much."

"We may need a new one." Zeus mused. Apollo sent him a worried look.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean!?"

"Oh, nothing."

Apollo did not like the sound of that.

 **"Yes, but the last time we had a** ** _legacy_** **-!"**

"Bah," Poseidon huffed. "It wasn't like he even had that power! You Romans can be such a paranoid lot."

"Sorry." The few Romans mumbled. They did not want to incur the wrath of the sea god.

 **"The Earthshaker wouldn't have had a sire if he'd have thought we'd reject him." Rachel cut her fellow Praetor off.**

"Exactly, I like this one." The Earthshaker nodded.

 **She took the tusks and gave them back to the boys. "Together they fought, so together they shall remain. I doubt they have letters of recommendation."**

 **"The Third will take Jason without one, but I am not sure of Naruto." The Augur said sadly. "I believe he would do no harm intentionally, but my word would only get so much pull."**

"No, don't separate them!" Hazel pouted. "They're so cute together!"

"Fifth please." Jason said. He _needed_ to be in the Fifth. It just wouldn't be right.

 **"If I may, Praetors. Abigail." The guard spoke up, stepping into the light and removing his helmet, showing a boy around the Augur's age with wild black hair and blue eyes. "I believe the Fifth will accept the both of them."**

"I like this." Jason nodded as Frank and Hazel grinned along with him.

 **"You're Zachary, Fortuna's son, yes?" Tim asked, getting a nod. "Why should we place them in the Fifth and not the Fourth? We could separate them if we must."**

"Tyche's kid?" Hermes said thoughtfully. "Man, Victory and Luck? Good mix for that generation."

 **"Call me Zack. Praetor, I don't want to insult you, but please listen to your fellow Praetor when she speaks." Zack said, getting an amused smile from Rachel and a grunt from Tim. "I know when bad luck is around, and nothing of the sort lingers over the son of Neptune.**

"Thank you!" Poseidon said with a huff. Honestly, a few quakes and your rep is ruined.

 **And as Rachel said, the two worked together, probably raised together with Lupa."**

 **"We're pack-brothers." Naruto cut in proudly, Jason getting a bit of a flush at his friend's daring interruption.**

"Aww." The females cooed while Jason looked a tad embarrassed.

 **"Shut up!" he hissed to his fellow blond. Only Tim seemed to be insulted at this, Rachel and Abigail both looked amused more than anything. Zach grinned back at his leaders.**

"Definitely going to have problems." Reyna laughed softly.

 **"See what I mean? They are brothers in everything but blood.**

"Technically they are cousins," Nico said.

 **Besides, you really don't want to waste the Fourth Cohort's time with raising children, do you?" he asked.**

"Great, the Fifth is now on diaper duty." Hazel commented as Jason looked at her. "The mighty diapers of Jason Grace of course."

"I'm sure he has a storm brewing down there," Poseidon said, getting everyone to laugh while Jason and Zeus looked red. One flushed out of embarrassment and the other out of anger.

 **"A fair point." Tim said, huffing. He waved them off and crossed his arms. "Fine. Do what you want. Get them initiated and put 'em in the Fifth. But one lick of trouble comes from the sea-born boy and he's done."**

"Brat." Poseidon glared at the son of Mars along with Percy.

 **"I'll see to it that he doesn't." Zack said, saluting the Praetors before turning to the boys. "Come with me, Naruto, Jason."**

 **"I would like to come, too." Rachel said, putting her hand on Tim's arm lightly before leading the guard and the newcomers out of the room. Abigail left after bowing to the other Praetor, leaving him alone in the room. Tim huffed and went back to his chambers, a frown on his face.**

 **"Those two are going to cause problems...I just know it." He said, having a gut feeling about their presence.**

"He isn't wrong." Percy supplied, as that got some laughs.

 **"There, there, Jason. It's done. No more tears." Rachel said, giving the small boy comfort through a hug as he hiccupped out tears after getting his father's symbolic eagle tattooed into his arm.**

"I'll kill them all!" Thalia snarled and her eyes sparked.

"Thalia, no killing the Romans." Jason frowned at his sister.

"They _branded_ you! A four year old! What the hell is wrong with those people?!"

"Everything." Athena told her, getting eye rolls as Jason tried to calm his sister before he continued to read.

 **Naruto was faring no better, not screaming in pain, but crying heavily as the mark of the trident was burnt into his arm.**

"Ouch," Percy winced, rubbing the phantom pain on his own tattoo. Poseidon frowned a bit at Percy's reaction to seeing Neptune's son in pain.

 **It was a bit unusual to have to comfort a new member of the Legion like this, but she understood that they were still** ** _very_** **young.**

"At least someone does." Piper huffed, honestly, this macho stuff was so old.

 **She had cried when she scraped her knee after learning to ride a bike, and that was a good three years before she even knew she was to be a member of the Legion.**

 **"We're done, Naruto." Zack said, putting the instruments of pain away after marking on the small boy's arm. "There, see? I told you it would be over fast."**

"Like a booster shot, just burned into your skin instead of a prick." Leo said jokingly.

"...Leo, a booster shot is like a hard pinch. This is burning flesh." Piper pointed out.

"...Er...well, uh, a booster shot to me?"

"That makes more sense."

 **"It hurts." Naruto said, tears rolling down his cheeks and sniffling as he held his arm at the elbow, looking at the mark of his father. The large trident was carefully etched into his skin, hard to miss above the signature SPQR.**

"Getting a tattoo at four, his mom won't flip at that at all." Percy said with a laugh until he realized his mom might be a tad upset with him for his own.

 **"Yes, but you'll both be stronger for it." Rachel said, wiping away the tears from Jason's eyes. She continued softly. "Enough crying, Jason. You must be strong now. Members of the Legion do not cry."**

"He can cry if he wants, you moron." Thalia huffed with crossed arms. She was not at all pleased with this scene.

 **"O-Okay." Jason said, sniffling like his friend. His emotional struggle had caused a storm to brew over the camp, though the heavy rain hadn't been able to pierce whatever magical field protected it.**

"A four year throws a fit with a thunder storm…where have I seen that before?" Poseidon rubbed his beard in mock thought while Zeus glared at him.

He did not throw fits!

 **He wiped his tears away and tried to make the pain go away through sheer will.**

 **"Alright, now for the worse part." Zack said, holding a wet cloth for Naruto's burn. He had to clean it so it would heal properly. "If Abby was here this would go smoother."**

 **"She has to consult the Senate about the tremors, you know that." Rachel said, watching as the water was introduced to Naruto's arm. Unlike Jason, he didn't shriek in surprised pain when it was put on his arm. He seemed to actually sigh in relief, making Rachel arch a brow in interest.**

"Water healing for the win." Percy grinned while Jason pouted.

"Lucky him, that thing hurt like hell when I was younger." Jason mumbled.

"What was that?" Thalia asked.

"Nothing, Thalia..."

 **"Wow, kiddo. You've got some thick skin to handle this." Zack said, cleaning away the dead skin from Naruto's arm. "There. Now we're done for sure. Welcome to the Legion, Naruto Uzumaki."**

 **"T-Thank you." Naruto said, sniffing as he held his arm protectively. An instinct Jason was following, favoring his arm as well.**

"Present your barcodes to us." Leo said in a mock German voice, getting a glare from Hades.

"Very funny." He said dryly.

 **"Now come. Zack will take you to the Fifth Cohort." Rachel said, standing and nodding to the guard, who bowed lightly as she left.**

 **"You're not coming with us?" Jason asked, a bit sad over that. Rachel gave him a small smile.**

"Aw, getting attached to her already, Jason?"

"Shut up, Leo." Jason flushed a bit. She was nice to him, it was only natural for the younger him to want her around.

 **"Not today. I will visit you tomorrow after you have rested." She said. With a final goodnight to the two newest members of the Legion, the Praetor returned to her chambers, her mind racing with the possibilities that these two could do in battle.**

"A lot." Everyone but Percy and Jason deadpanned.

 **"C'mon, guys." Zack said, putting his hands on the two four-year-old's backs and leading them to a small building with a large V above it. Zack opened the door to quiet conversations, all eyes turning to face him and the newcomers.**

 **"Legionnaire." A short boy with a mechanical right arm said, nodding at Zack from where he sat at a table where a card game was going on.**

"So, what do you think ate it?"

"Nico!"

 **He had short blond hair and emerald green eyes that had specks of black in them. "Who're the kids?"**

 **"Centurion-"**

 **"No formalities, Zack. That's my job." The Centurion said, smirking as he crossed his mechanical arm over his real one.**

"That's kinda cool." Leo admitted, but he still liked his real arm.

 **"Edward." Zack said as he rolled his eyes and put his hands on the blondes' heads. "These are the two newcomers I'm sure everyone's heard about."**

 **"The sons of Jupiter and Neptune?" Edward asked, looking at both critically.**

"Judging eyes." Hermes whispered, getting a few snickers.

 **"Yes." Zack said, nodding. "Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, and Naruto Uzumaki, son of Neptune."**

 **"...Is he...?" a member of the cohort asked from the side. Zack shook his head.**

Poseidon grumbled a bit.

 **"No. Naruto has no bad luck on him. The Praetors have assigned them to us." Zack said.**

"...Have I mentioned that I really like this boy?"

"No, Poseidon," Hestia said with an amused smile.

"Oh, well, I really like this boy." Poseidon grinned lightly.

 **Edward snorted and leaned back in his chair. "Great. Not only are we on latrine duty most of the time, but now we're on diaper watch." He sighed and stood up. "Guess I should be the one to say it. Welcome, Jason Grace and Naruto Uzumaki. I am Centurion Edward Allen, son of Trivia**

"Magic boy, huh?" Thalia scoffed with a roll of her eyes. Great, she hated magic.

 **and co-leader of the Fifth Cohort. The other Centurion is on watch tonight so you'll meet her tomorrow. Find a bunk and get some rest, you've got a big day ahead of ya."**

 **"In other words boys," Zack said, grinning as he patted their heads. "Welcome to your new home."**

"Home is where the heart is," Hestia said fondly and the Romans smiled.

 **"Three years have passed since their arrival." A member of the Second Cohort said softly as he put on his armor, catching the attention of a young girl sitting at a table behind the speaker. "And we've yet to have a game against the whole Fifth. Favoritism from the Praetors?"**

"Maybe." Hazel mused.

"It hardly seems fair to send little boys out to fight," Thalia said scathingly. "Let them grow at least."

Jason frowned. He wasn't little.

 **"You kidding me?" asked another seated boy. "Those runts would get killed faster than you could call Pluto. If anything, the Praetors have been keeping Jupiter's wrath from falling upon us."**

"He speaks the truth." Zeus nodded, like he would want to lose his son to a war game if he wasn't ready for it.

 **"Like that would matter if the other one died. He's bad luck."**

"Little fucker."

"Poseidon!" Hestia chided her brother.

"No sister, that was crossing the line."

"I know, but still! Watch your language."

"Yes, Hestia."

 **"Don't let the Augur hear you say that. She'll have the gods against you in an instant."**

"Boom." Apollo made a gun gesture with his fingers. "Headshot."

 **"Shame she's going to be giving up her job for a seat soon."**

 **"Her apprentice is a member of our Cohort that can actually read the future."**

"Boo, we like her!" Leo said.

"Because she's pretty, right?" Piper said dryly.

"You read me like a book, beauty queen."

 **"Misaki!" The eavesdropping girl jumped at her name being hissed by her friend and mentor. The older girl by the name of Samantha was of Aesculapius' blood and had taken the young seven-year-old daughter of Venus under her wing.**

"Ooh, a child of mine!" Aphrodite clapped eagerly and Piper looked interested.

 **Samantha was a brown haired girl with sky blue eyes, much like the Augur of whom the two boys spoke and was taller than Misaki by at least a head and a half. She was everything a Roman girl was supposed to be.**

Reyna gave a nod at that, it was good to have a strong girl around.

 **Misaki herself was a contrast of this, her hair a long curly golden blond and her equally golden, star-filled eyes gave her the appearance of a pampered princess.**

"That sounds familiar," Artemis said, making Aphrodite glare at her.

"She's cute." Hazel hummed, liking her fellow golden-eyed girl.

"The stars are weird though." Frank commented.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Piper asked her mother, who just shrugged.

"Some of my children get very unique aspects." Aphrodite smiled lightly.

 **The silk gloves she was obsessed with wearing didn't help this image at all.**

"Nice quality." The love goddess said as Reyna shook her head, so improper.

 **Had it not been for her letter from a cousin in New Rome, a former Centurion of the Second Cohort, she would've most likely ended up in a lesser cohort stuck with duties that were far beneath her.**

"She sounds like Drew." Piper frowned. "Great, a _Roman_ Drew Tanaka."

"...We're doomed." Leo mumbled in horror.

 **She had her trusty gold colored purse over her shoulder and in it she had concealed her curved dagger given to her by her mother on her second month alone. Not directly, but through careful directions and the whispers of a dove.**

"A purse." Artemis said with a laugh. "Wow, even for a Roman, that's a bit sad."

"What?" Aphrodite frowned. "She has her weapon hidden very well _and_ she looks fabulous! I say it's a win-win."

"Sure Mom," Piper said with a small laugh, but at least the girl was armed.

 **"Were you listening? This is your first War Game and I want you to be ready." Samantha said, frowning at the girl.**

 **"Of course I was, Sammy." Misaki said, smiling sweetly. Samantha rolled her eyes, used to the charming behavior of the Second Cohort's 'princess'.**

"Wonderful title, sweetie!"

 **The daughter of Venus had the slyest of tongues and if one wasn't careful, she could easily trick you into doing something she didn't want to.**

That made some of the gods pause and look at the beaming Aphrodite.

"Artemis…" Athena began slowly as her sister nodded.

"Yes, she's finally done it."

"Aphrodite's possibly made a clone of herself in the form of her own daughter."

"I don't think the world is ready." The huntress frowned.

"I don't think that _we're_ ready." Athena mumbled. "I might actually feel sorry for the Romans."

"…I hate you both, I really do." The lady of doves frowned and crossed her arms.

 **"Then what did I say?" Samantha asked.**

 **"Stay close, listen to the orders and don't use charmspeak." Misaki said, frowning at the last one. "Why can't I use charmspeak again? Magic isn't illegal."**

"And she has charmspeak." Piper said with a blink. "That was interesting."

Aphrodite giggled. "Oh, she _really_ takes after Mommy."

"I hope not too much."

"Oh, go get laid, Artemis!"

"No thanks. That's your job, you do it enough for all of us virgin goddesses."

"Zing!" Hermes said. He shrugged when the other Olympians looked at him. "I had to do it."

 **"The last thing we need is for an actual fight to break out over the regulations of charmspeak in a War Game." Samantha said. "It's two against three, and while the First and Second cohorts are consider the best of the best, we're outnumbered and there's always a few gems hidden in the rough."**

"Like our little Superboy and Aqualad." Annabeth teased, getting Jason to flush a bit and Percy snickered at the name.

 **"Of course there is, Sammy." Misaki said. She and Samantha finished dressing for the game and went to where the fort was, the Fields of Mars. The Cohorts were mixed together, most of the First and Second wearing the color of purple while the other three cohorts wore the color of gold primarily. Misaki was set next to a boy her age that was bouncing in his place out of nerves, or so she believed it to be nerves.**

"Naruto," The demigods said bluntly.

"And I doubt it's nerves." Piper snickered.

"More like excitement." Annabeth added.

 **"Would you knock it off?" another boy asked quietly as the Praetors went over the rules. "We're going to get in trouble."**

 **"I can't help it. It's the first game we get to be a part of! I want to give 'em payback for what they did to Zack's eye." The boy said, the sword in his hand trembling under his grip. He looked about ready to just drop it and run, in Misaki's opinion.**

"Once again, excitement." Annabeth nodded.

Poseidon snorted at the thought of his Roman persona's boy running.

 **"You'll have your chance, just do as Ed says for now and we'll be back at the barracks soon enough."**

 **"But Jay..."**

 **"Would you shush?" Misaki asked, annoyed by their conversation and the hyper boy's whine.**

"Snippy." Piper commented.

 **"In case you two haven't noticed, you're standing next to the enemy. I could cut you down here and now with how loud you're being and no one would care."**

"Okay, not like Drew at all." Piper blinked and Leo snorted.

"Understatement."

"Amazing, another child of yours with a backbone to fight." Artemis showed actual shock while Athena smirked.

Aphrodite glared at the two goddesses, honestly!

 **"Oh who asked you?" the hyper boy said, frowning at her. He got shoved by the other boy, Jay, for retorting to the threat. "What?"**

"Yeah, let them banter, it's important." Ares nodded, getting Hermes to snort.

"Like you know what banter is."

 **"Shut up, Nar." Jay said.**

 **"What'd I do? She started it!"**

"Her mother always does."

"Thank you, Artemis."

"No problem."

 **"We can't afford to do this now, idiot." Jay said.**

 **"What, is she Vulcan's daughter or something?" Nar asked.**

"How dare he!" Aphrodite cried in outrage. She looked pale at the very thought

The demigods laughed at that with some gods, especially Hephaestus, did the same.

 **Misaki bulked at the question and then seethed. She was not the daughter of the disfigured smith god, thank you very much! She was a member of the Second Cohort and already making a name for herself. This-this boy should know exactly who she is!**

"Attention seeker much?" Apollo asked, getting his twin to snort.

"Hypocrite."

"I try."

 **"Not now, Naruto!"**

 **"But Jay..."**

 **"You, Naruto." Misaki said, grinding her teeth as the boy looked at her with sea green eyes. "You're my first target."**

"Boy just made an enemy today." Frank whistled. "Venus' kids can be vicious if they wanted to be."

 **"Go ahead and try to hit me." Naruto said with his own challenging grin.**

 **Misaki laughed and smirked at him. "It'll be easy to take out a few members of the Fifth."**

"Oh, no she didn't!" Hazel frowned. "That little brat, the Fifth isn't that easy to beat!"

Frank and Jason nodded with her, those were fighting words for sure.

 **"Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna be the first one through that wall!" Naruto said, determinedly.**

 **"Sure you will." Misaki said, waving his claim off with her smirk still on her face.**

"She is so going to eat those words." Percy grinned. He raised a fist. "Go Naruto! Show them the might of the sea!"

Zeus groaned while Poseidon cheered along with him.

 **"Now get going. I don't want to take you out too easily. Might as well give you a handicap."**

"Ooh, scathing." Ares snickered.

 **"Naruto." Jason said, grabbing his friend's arm before he could act. "Just let it go and come on."**

 **"Yes. Go on, Naruto. Go back to your Cohort." Misaki said with a smirk as Jason led him away.**

"She is so going to get it." Annabeth shook her head.

"I hear you." Piper nodded.

"Sweetie, you should be rooting for your sister."

"Not right now, I'm not."

Aphrodite pouted at the response.

 **That boy was full of hot air and just as new to this as she was.**

"Must have missed his bars." Reyna mused. The child of the sea was around a lot longer than the child of Venus.

 **She had the better soldiers to train her. She'd squash him flat, and if that didn't work, she could always charm him into cleaning her barracks or something.**

"…Wow, evil much?" Leo asked.

"No, it sounds like her mother alright." His father said.

"…Like, almost…nah." The boy waved off.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing." Leo said to her. "It's impossible anyway. Like, legit, impossible."

"...If you say so."

 **"Oh, I'm so gonna make her eat her words!" Naruto said, scowling as he tightly gripped his sword, bending the handle in his grasp.**

"There's that super strength." Percy said in a chipper tone.

"And the loss of a perfectly good sword." Jason nodded.

 **"Naruto, your sword." Jason said, nudging him and making the blond look at his handle.**

 **"Aw man...That's the third one this month." Naruto said.**

"He should get them in bulk." Leo laughed.

 **He grunted and tossed the sword aside and picked up a small circular shield once he got to the assault cohort base. "Stupid weak metal handles..."**

"Sure, blame the metal." The smith god rolled his eyes.

"Well, technically it is true." Poseidon mumbled.

"Bah!"

 **"Naruto, you can warp pure gold with your bare hands. They aren't exactly weak." Jason said with dry amusement.**

"See!" Poseidon pointed out to his nephew, who just waved it off.

"Excuses."

 **"Yeah, but now I'm down to a shield. Can I borrow your sword?"**

"That gets destroyed much later, little dude." Leo snickered as Jason pouted.

 **"Julius is mine, Naruto." Jason said, rubbing his coin with a grin on his face.**

 **"Not that one. The regulated one."**

 **"No."**

 **"What?! Why not?"**

 **"You need to learn restraint."**

Poseidon scoffed. "The sea cannot be restrained!"

Zeus and Hades let out simultaneous groans.

 **"Ugh, you know I hate that word. So...restricting."**

"Exactly." The sea god nodded along with Percy. It was so true.

 **"That's the point."**

 **"But it's no fun! Just give me the sword."**

 **"Abigail said you should learn to control yourself."**

"Ooh, bringing in the girl who helps him out." Aphrodite tittered with a giggle.

 **"...Low blow, Jay." Naruto said, pouting at the now smirking son of Jupiter. It was no secret between the two boys that Naruto idolized the Augur.**

"Like Annabeth did Luke."

"Thalia!" Annabeth shouted, her cheeks red.

 **She had put more faith in him than anyone else in his cohort aside from Zack. Her word had a lot of pull with the senate as a legionnaire and the Augur that interpreted the gods' wishes, and it was her word that protected him from being shafted after a small tremor hit San Francisco. Jason even went as far to say Naruto** ** _liked_** **the pretty daughter of Apollo, which was met with vehement denial and blushing.**

"Oh he so does." Aphrodite cooed. "How cute."

"Heh," Apollo grinned. "My kids are good like that."

 **"If it works, it works." Jason said.**

 **"Jason, Naruto!" The two seven-year-olds rushed into the hut, gathered near the now eye patch wearing Zack, his left eye having a vicious scar over the blinded orb.**

"Guess lucky boy wasn't so lucky." Ares laughed and got some eye rolls.

 **The son of Fortuna let the two slip in front of him and listen as Edward and his fellow centurion Michelle, a daughter of Somnus who was exceedingly energetic because of the caffeine constantly flowing through her veins to keep her awake, stood around a table.**

"Wow, contrasts to Clovis much?" Piper asked and got some nods from those that knew the sleepy cow-like boy.

 **"Alright, you know what comes first. We're being sent in to weaken the defenses." Michelle said, making the room groan. "Oh come on, we're good at that."**

"We always do that." Hazel muttered with a frown. To think that it still happened even back then? That's depressing.

 **"Yeah!" Naruto said, his fist raised. His exuberant cry got him punched in the arm by Jason. "Ow. What? I can break the door down in a snap."**

"He probably could." Nico nodded, that would be funny to see.

 **"Our own little battering ram." Zack said, ruffling Naruto's hair affectionately. The one-eyed son of luck smirked at the amused Centurions. "What the hell, even if we're just going to be cannon-fodder, I got a good feeling about this."**

"And if lucky boy says it…" Leo grinned.

"It must be good." Jason finished for him, smirking.

 **The rest of the cohort grinned at that. It was always a good sign when Zack had a good feeling. His last good feeling was when Naruto and Jason were inducted to their cohort. Since then, he's had nothing but bad feelings about War Games, his last game being Deathball and getting a new splinter ball shot in his eye.**

"Deathball?" Thalia asked her brother with narrowed eyes.

"It isn't as bad as it sounds."

"It's worse." Hazel informed and Jason just looked at her, betrayal in his eyes, while Thalia glared at him.

 **"You heard the lucky charm." Edward said, twisting his mechanical wrist and letting a gold sword slide out. "Let's go kick down a door."**

"Sweet feature." Leo whistled.

 **The cohort cheered and rushed out, Naruto holding his shield at the ready. The blond clanged his shield against Jason's with a grin on his face. "Let's bust some heads!"**

"That was a good show." Hermes said. Hera scoffed.

"Please, it was terrible."

"You just hated the actor."

"So?"

 **"You're way too into this." Jason said, flipping his coin and gripping the spear that formed from it.**

"That thing is about twice the size of you." Piper snickered with Thalia. He looked precious!

"Shut up." The Roman boy frowned as he continued reading.

 **"Just cover me, Jay. And stay close, we might need to try that thing we've been working on out." Naruto said.**

"They have a thing?" Percy asked in wonder.

 **"...Not the thing."**

 **"Yes, the thing."**

 **"...We're doomed."**

"So melodramatic." Percy rolled his eyes.

"He gets it from his father." Poseidon told his son, getting Zeus to glare at him.

 **"See, it's attitudes like that that led Rome to fall the first time." Naruto said as Rachel blew the whistle.**

Athena smiled brightly at that while Jason frowned. Ouch, that one hurt.

 **The Fifth Cohort rushed forward with battle cries, Naruto and Jason falling behind because of their shorter legs. Lucky for them, since they weren't targeted by boulders launched by catapults or arrows shot by bows. Naruto ran up to one of the boulders, bringing his shield-wielding arm back over his shoulder before bashing the giant rock at the fort.**

Leo let out a whistle. "Seems Jason has competition for the Superboy title."

"That's going to cause some panic." Percy smirked, nice one!

 **One of the archers was encased in the shadow and was forced to jump from the top of the fort to the ground, landing with a scream on the ground as his legs broke.**

"Ha-ha!" Ares pointed with a cruel grin.

 **While Tim rushed in and got the injured legionnaire out, Naruto focused on rushing through his fellow Fifth Cohort members. Zack called for him to fall back, but lost him as the small wave of defensive soldiers from the First and Second Cohorts held off the Fifth Cohort.**

"Ignoring orders." Percy grinned at Thalia, who glared at him. "Definitely runs in the family."

"Not something to be proud of, Kelp Head." Thalia rolled her eyes.

 **Naruto kept running, bringing his shield up in front of him and plowing through the door, the shock of it all bringing the soldiers in the fort to a standstill.**

"Yeah, we don't see that every day." Frank nodded.

"Indeed." Reyna supported.

 **Naruto looked up from his spot on the downed stone door and blinked two large green eyes up at the one girl he didn't expect to see.**

"Misaki." Piper snickered, no doubt.

 **"Uh...Hi?"**

 **Misaki blinked in surprise as her star-filled golden eyes met his green, taking them in for the first time. They were rather nice, dare she say very nice even. It was like looking at two pieces of sea glass.**

"Ooh, she likes~" Aphrodite smiled, now this was juicy!

"What blonde girl could resist those deep sea green eyes?"

"Shut up, McLean!" Annabeth's cheeks pinked as she glared at the snickering girl.

 **"I gotta wreck this place now. Bye!" Naruto said, hopping to his feet and rushing to a wall. Bringing his shield-baring arm back, he slammed it against the wall, creating a large hole just large enough for a small adult.**

"Charge!" Percy cried out.

 **That seemed to snap the opposing demigods out of their surprise, clambering over each other in an attempt to get him. Naruto slipped through, only to be tripped and grabbed by the ankle, held in place by someone stuck in a pileup caused by the attempt to catch him.**

 **"I don't think so, shrimp!" The son or legacy of Mars, based on his similar appearance to Tim, who held his ankle said.**

"Kick him in the face!"

"Percy," Frank frowned, but the Greek shrugged.

"Can't help it, you have to get into it."

 **Naruto struggled to pull himself free, and when that didn't work, decided to try something he'd only been working on for a few weeks. Throwing his shield like a discus to take out an approaching opponent, Naruto intertwined his hands and brought them over his head. He brought them down, hitting the solid dirt ground he was dropped to and watching as a fissure formed from the impact.**

"I should really practice that." Percy muttered, now that was cool.

"No," Annabeth told him, she didn't need him wrecking something with that geokinesis of his.

 ** _Hit the wall, hit the wall._** **Naruto thought, watching as the cracking continued and stopped at his target. The wall started to shake before crumbling apart, leaving a large gaping opening in the enemy's defenses. The glaring holes were enough of an inspiration for the Third and Fourth Cohorts to rush in and overtake the fort, winning the Siege for the first time in months.**

"And who is the MVP?" Percy asked, his voice full of smug.

"Naruto it seems." Reyna nodded.

 **Misaki had her eyes glued on the boy pulled from the grasp of the son/legacy of Mars by an older boy who hoisted Naruto onto his shoulders, the entirety of the Fifth Cohort chanting his name.**

The demigods cheered too, it was a cool move and a nice win.

 **Her eyes gleamed and her mouth curled up into a small smile as he was put down and high fived the other boy, Jay. She just discovered something very interesting. Misaki liked things that were interesting.**

"…Why does a little girl have the eyes of a predator?" Frank asked with a gulp.

"Got that from Dite, that's for sure." Ares commented.

Aphrodite beamed once again.

 **She liked them a lot.**

"Potential love interest!" the love goddess squealed aloud, getting groans from the other gods at the noise.

 **"The victory goes to the assault team, Cohorts Three through Five." Tim said, making several First Cohort members groan as he gave them a disapproving look. They were supposed to be the best of the best, and being beat by a boy not even in his teens was humiliating.**

"It's called getting owned, suckers." Percy snickered, in your faces! His brother rocked.

 **Tim looked to his fellow Praetor and Rachel smiled.**

 **"And our MVP of the match is the young member of the Fifth Cohort, Neptune's son, Naruto Uzumaki." Rachel said, all eyes turning to the blond as he blinked in confusion. Jason shoved him forward, getting a look of annoyance from the blond boy. He turned around and saw that everyone was looking at him.**

"Give us a rousing speech!" Apollo laughed out.

 **"Uh...Hello..." he said shyly, not really used to all the attention.**

"Aww," the females cooed while Apollo shook his head.

"Not really rousing, little dude."

 **He mainly stuck close to Jason, Zack or Abigail and in rare occasions the Praetor Rachel. She took great interest in training two of the big three's sons.**

"Good on her," Poseidon nodded along with Zeus. They needed someone to train them good and proper.

 **Rachel beckoned him over to her and she smiled, giving him a small token.**

 **"For the offering." She said softly. "After we finish here, you must go to Neptune's temple. Abigail has told me the gods wish it to be so."**

"A gift already?" Zeus asked his brother with a raised brow, which made Poseidon smirk.

"He's certainly earned it, has he not?"

"I'd say so." Percy said, as his father nodded to him.

 **Rachel pulled away and Tim walked over to Naruto, holding a golden laurel crown in his hands.**

 **"For the infiltration and the sabotage that led to victory, I proudly present the Mural Crown to the Most Valuable Player." Tim said, placing the crown on Naruto's head. Naruto grunted at the slight weight added before he was saluted by the players.**

"Hail Caesar!"

Jason glared at Leo. "Not cool."

"I beg to differ dude. I'm a riot."

 **Jason was grinning proudly for his friend. The hardheaded idiot deserved it after all the looks he's been receiving because of Neptune's connection with him.**

"Absolutely." Poseidon nodded sternly.

 **Plus, they didn't have to use that stupid** ** _thing_** **Naruto was adamant about using. Heck, Jason was just happy he didn't get eliminated before Naruto.**

"Would have been embarrassing." Jason nodded, he was a 'rival' in a way too.

 **Sure, Naruto was in first, but Jason was having more fun fighting the defensive team anyway. He got three 'kills', how many did Naruto get? Exactly.**

"Kills?" Thalia said, looking at Jason who was sweating a little from the look. "Something to tell the class, Jason?"

"...No." The blond mumbled.

 **It was during the feast that Naruto slipped away. Rachel said the gods wanted him to go to his father's temple, which was pretty much almost an outhouse, and so that's where he went.**

Poseidon glared at the Romans, who tried their best not to look at him. It wasn't their fault!

 **The small token in hand, Naruto dropped the token into the small bowl of water set on the wooden bench. The water shone brightly before two leather wrist braces appeared where the token was. They had gold tridents imprinted on the back.**

"Wonder what they do?" Percy wondered curiously. They seemed kinda cool.

 **"Whoa..." Naruto said, reaching into the water and pulling the two braces out. As soon as he pulled them out of water they opened and shot to either of his wrists, melding with them perfectly. The act made his eyes go wide as the information of how to use them entered his subconscious.**

"A free instruction manual?" Percy asked his dad with a frown. "I would have loved one too."

"Chiron told you all about Riptide, Percy. Naruto lacks that, so we must do what we can," Poseidon said with a wave of his hand. He stroked his beard in thought. "They must be custom orders from my kingdom."

"Special gear…" Percy got a broody look on his face, he would so love some special gear.

 **Naruto stumbled back, falling out of the mockery of a temple onto his backside with a grunt. He stood up, rubbing his sore butt from where he landed as he looked at the temple.**

 **"Thank you, Lord Neptune." Naruto said, getting up and closing the door.**

"You can call me dad." Poseidon frowned, no need for formalities.

 **"I'll repay you somehow for this gift." Frowning, Naruto decided Neptune deserved a bit more dignity of a temple. A genius idea hit him and Naruto grinned.**

"Oh, what's this?" Reyna said, curious about what the young boy was going to do.

 **"Don't go anywhere!" He said, running past the temple to the temple of Mercury where he quickly got on his knees as he came up to the likeness of the god.**

"Well, it seems I'm the cousin's fave." Hermes grinned and the other gods scoffed at him. Big deal.

 **"Lord Mercury, god of the merchants, travelers and messengers, I ask for your help." The relatively human sized statue said nothing, simply staying in its position while Naruto continued. "In return, I shift my victory banquet to your honor and give you my crown."**

"Sweet!" Hermes rubbed his hands together. "Now, let's see what you have planned, little man."

 **Jason woke up with a yawn, scratching his head as he got out of his cot. He was ready for a day of relaxation, the three victorious cohorts being let off for the day because of their victory and most of the punishment falling upon the First Cohort, while the Second focused on demolishing the fort.**

"Major pain." Jason groaned, it really was.

Frank nodded, "You're telling me."

 **He walked over to the Fifth Cohort's breakfast table, where a bowl of oatmeal-like slop was set in front of him.**

 **"Eat up, Jason and relax while you can."**

 **"Thanks Edward." Jason said to the Centurion. He eagerly dug in and looked over to where Naruto's cot was. He swallowed a bite and blinked at the lack of his sleeping blond pack-brother. "Did Naruto already eat?"**

"He never came back?" Hazel asked, slightly concerned.

"Maybe he's still doing his idea." Annabeth stated to the girl, who nodded. That was the most likely scenario.

 **"He was gone when I woke up." Edward said, shrugging as he scooped another slop out into a bowl and handed it to the bleary Zack. "Michelle said she'd go look for him after her shift."**

 **"Oh, okay." Jason said, digging back in.**

 **Zack woke up after a few bites and grinned at Jason. "So how many did you get?"**

 **"Three." The son of Jupiter said proudly. He got a ruffle of the hair, making him groan while Zack and Edward laughed.**

"I beat up three guys Thalia, happy?" Jason jokingly asked.

"Meh, you could have done better."

"…Seriously?"

"Yep." The hunter nodded, making Jason pout a bit.

 **"Alright, Jay!" Edward said with a clap on the shoulder. "Look at you, already taking out three men."**

 **After a few more jokes at his expense, Jason set out to find his friend. As soon as he stepped out of the cohort, though, he saw that girl that got into a tiff with Naruto before the Siege began trying to hide behind the side of the Fourth Cohort's barracks.**

"Stalker?" Piper giggled.

"She fails at stealth." Artemis noted, but Aphrodite huffed.

"She's merely checking up on her interest."

 **Arching a brow, because he knew she was supposed to be helping take down the fort, he decided to investigate her presence instead. Jason doubled around the other way of the Fifth's barracks and snuck up behind the girl.**

"Not smart." Piper smirked to her beau, who arched a brow.

"Why not?" Jason asked.

"Think about it."

Jason did and groaned. Great.

 **"Boo!" he said, making the blonde girl turn around and throw a fist at his face. "Hey, watch it."**

"…Good reflexes." Artemis mumbled, she felt strange admitting that.

 **"Oh, it's you. Jay-Jay, right?" she asked as she took her fist back.**

"Jay-Jay?!" The demigods started to laugh aloud as Jason turned red. That was the dumbest name ever!

 **"** ** _Jason_** **." He said, scowling at the massacre of his name. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be taking down the fort?"**

 **"Oh I would, but I gave that to someone far more suited with dismantling the fort than myself." She said.**

"Poor dude." Leo said with a shake of his head.

 **"You see, I'm not too keen on physical labor. Fighting, oh I can do that if I have to, but physical labor. Ick. I'll pass."**

"I stand corrected." Artemis said dryly. "Aphrodite, two-point-oh."

"Yes," Athena nodded. "She can fight."

"I can fight as well, thank you very much!" Aphrodite sniffed. "I just choose not to most of the time."

 **"Uh-huh. Who's your parent?" Jason asked, already having a feeling.**

"Isn't that hard." Hazel deadpanned.

 **"Venus, of course. Couldn't you tell, Jay-Jay?" the girl said with a smile on her face and a flutter of her eyes.**

"Hey," Piper frowned, easy with the eyes golden girl. That was _her_ future boyfriend.

 **"My name is** ** _Jason_** **." Jason said with a frown.**

 **"And I'm Misaki." Misaki said, smirking as she held her hand out. "Misaki Shokuhou. Pleased to meet you, Jay-Jay."**

"She does not look Asian, at all." Frank pointed out.

"Most have gotten all the looks from me." The lady of doves beamed with a pleased smile.

 **"...Stop calling me that." Jason said dryly as he shook her hand.**

 **"Hm...No, I like it now. I'm going to keep calling you that." Misaki said, smirking at him as she took her hand back.**

"Definitely a cutie little tease." Aphrodite smiled. "Oh, she's so cute!"

"I don't like her," Jason said with a frown.

"Too bad, she seems to want Naruto. Meaning you have to get used to her." Piper deduced.

"…Darn."

 **She looked around for something.**

 **"Can I help you?" Jason asked.**

 **"Yes, actually. Where's your friend, Jay-Jay?" Misaki asked slyly.**

"Yes, where's the future boy toy?"

"Aphrodite." Poseidon frowned, along with Percy, at the love goddess.

"Oh, I kid, I kid…kind of...Maybe…"

 **"I don't know." He said, making her frown in disappointment.**

 **"How can you not know?" she asked. "Are you not all that good of friends? I could've sworn you two were closer than that."**

"Oh, stinger on this little bee." Apollo whistled as Jason frowned at that.

 **Jason glared at the girl. "We are. He's my best friend. I just don't know where he is right now."**

"So defensive." Annabeth teased, Jason pouted.

 **"Really? So are we going to go find you're not best friend?" Misaki asked, smirking at the glare she got.**

"Seems to love pushing buttons," Artemis said dryly.

 **Oh this was so entertaining.**

"Yep, just keep pushing them."

 **She giggled lightly. "I'm only teasing, Jay-Jay, no need to be so mean."**

 **"It's not funny."**

"It really isn't." Jason frowned.

 **"It is to me." Misaki said. "In fact, I find it very entertaining. I may have to do it more often."**

"Joy." Jason said dryly.

 **"Joy." Jason said dryly,**

"Shut up." Jason grumbled when the demigods around him smirked or snickered.

 **once more making her giggle. They walked around the camp, searching for Naruto and all the while Misaki would ask questions about them.**

"Smart thing dear!"

 **Jason answered as best he could, but after a few too many questions about Naruto's favorite things, he asked. "Why are you looking for Naruto?"**

"Seems Icarus got a little too close." Hermes pointed, getting the lady of doves to pout.

 **"Why? Do I really need a reason?" Misaki asked in return.**

"Deny, deny, deny." Aphrodite nodded.

 **"Yes." Jason said as they turned towards Temple Hill. Maybe Naruto was asking Neptune for guidance. As unlikely it would be, it was still possible.**

Poseidon frowned, why wouldn't he?

 **"Well...I just want to get to know him a bit more." Misaki said with a smile. "I like having friends, too."**

"Friends," Percy nodded in disbelief, "Riiight."

 **"Right..." Jason said in disbelief.**

Percy and Jason grinned at one another. They were so on the same page.

 **"So why were you stalking him?"**

"Little creeper, isn't she?" Apollo snickered as the love goddess glared at him.

"So is that troll you had for an Augur."

"…Low blow."

 **"I wasn't stalking him." Misaki said in mock outrage before smirking. "I was...surveying him, is all."**

"Stalking." Artemis smirked at her rival, who rolled her eyes.

"My cute daughter was not stalking," Aphrodite scoffed. "It was like she said, clearly surveying."

 **"Sure you were." Jason said, giving her a wary glance. He was going to have to keep his eyes on this one. She was dangerous.**

"Treat assessment?" Leo asked Jason.

"With who she is and how she acts, I'd say Seven out of Ten. Possible Nine in the future."

 **They finished their climb up Temple Hill and went to the temple of Neptune...which was now gone. In the outhouse's place was a small marble building, a golden Trident hung above the doorway.**

"I think your kid has a career with housing." Hephaestus told his uncle with a blink. He could see his kid doing that, but someone else's? Wow.

"Pretty swanky." Poseidon smirked, finally! Now if he could only get that in this dimension…

 **Jason moved his mouth several times before he found his voice. "He couldn't have...not in a night..."**

"He does do the impossible." Annabeth shrugged, but she was very impressed. Small and simple, but still very good for a rush job.

 **"They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but I think we found one boy who could've helped do so." Jason and Misaki turned to look at the speaker, finding the amused Abigail kneeling nearby under an ash tree,**

"And my cutie daughter is awesomely mysterious~" Apollo grinned.

"But she has a point." Annabeth and looked at Percy, "Can you do that?"

"…No."

Annabeth clicked her tongue, they could do their own business if he could…maybe she should get him into some of Cabin Nine's lessons.

 **Naruto sleeping with his head on her lap.**

"Aw, he looks tuckered out." Hazel cooed and Frank rolled his eyes. His girlfriend was such a sucker for little kids.

 **Abigail ran her fingers through Naruto's hair, smiling lightly at the softness.**

"How soft is it?" Annabeth asked curious, Percy's was soft.

 **"He was called to speak with the gods after his victory. Gifted unto him by Neptune were two bracers, the abilities unknown or unseen by land dwellers since the sinking of the Greek isle Atlantis, and in return, Naruto sacrificed his crown and feast to Mercury for some supplies."**

"Bracers?" Percy asked, that's it?

"Percy," Annabeth said. "With his strength, bracers alone might be all he needs."

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "He could grab swords and stuff and just punch things. Kinda cool. Wonder what they look like?"

 **"Abby...did Naruto build this on his own?" Jason asked softly. Abigail looked up with a smile.**

 **"Yes he did." She said. She carefully moved Naruto's head back to the ground and stood. "Well, now that you two are here, I believe I can go inform Michelle not to worry about finding Naruto."**

"Such a nice girl," Hestia said. "She reminds me of Calypso in a way. So well-tempered."

"Might be why Naruto has a crush on her." Annabeth said and glanced at Percy, who looked the other way while whistling innocently.

 **She walked away, leaving Jason to go wake his friend up while Misaki watched the Augur go.**

"Yes, competition, the sweetest spice of all!"

"Aphrodite, shut up. Please." Athena groaned, she did not want to hear this.

 **Misaki frowned a bit, crossing her arms at the closeness between the older girl and the boy that snagged her interest.**

"The jealous type, huh?" Hazel teased.

"Piper wasn't much better when Drew was flirting with Jason."

"Annabeth!" Piper hissed.

 **They were probably just friends, but still.**

"She might arrange an _accident_." Ares grinned. Apollo glared at him.

"Ares, shut the hell up."

"Don't wanna."

"Stupid troll."

"I call him that all the time." Athena smirked.

 **"Wake up, Nar." Jason said, nudging Naruto with his foot. Naruto blinked his eyes and yawned, sitting up and rubbing the sleep away.**

 **"Jay...? What're you doing out here? You come to help me?" He asked.**

"No, you did it all on your own." Jason nodded.

 **"No. You slept out here all night." Jason said with a smirk.**

 **Naruto frowned, falling on his back. "That explains a lot." He noticed Misaki's presence and frowned. "What do you want?"**

"Well," Aphrodite frowned. "That's quite rude."

"Have you forgotten their first meeting?" Athena asked.

"…Still!"

 **"I just wanted to see you again, Superboy." Misaki said, kneeling down and poking him in the arm with a smile on her face.**

"Yeah, got some competition for the Super title, Jason." Leo snickered. Jason merely grunted.

 **"Guess I was wrong about you. I don't like being wrong, you know."**

"Neither does Annabeth." Percy nodded as his girlfriend pouted at him.

 **"Meh, get used to it, Sparkles." Naruto said with a smirk.**

"For her eyes, I'm sure," Aphrodite said in a pleased tone.

 **"Oh pet names already? This is moving a bit too fast for me.**

"Not really. Pet names are always good." The love goddess nodded firmly.

 **We just met after all." Misaki said, holding her cheeks as she closed her eyes in thought.**

"…I think she's getting a bit ahead of herself." Piper said dryly.

"Nonsense! Full throttle, Misaki!" the lady of love cheered her Roman daughter on.

 **Naruto and Jason shared a confused glance before Misaki regained their attention by tapping Naruto in the nose. "I can't wait to see you in action some more, Superboy."**

"Carry me in your big strong arms," Leo said in a girly voice and making smooch faces as his friends snickered.

"I'd watch out for her, Jason." Thalia suggested, this girl was definitely something different from the usual love daughters. And not good like Piper different, like something else.

"Hopefully my other does."

 **Before Naruto or Jason could say anything more, Misaki got to her feet and skipped away down the Hill back towards the barracks.**

"Oh, god, she even girly skips!" Piper groaned.

"You could too, Piper."

"Sorry Mom, but I will never skip."

 **"Hey Jay?"**

 **"Yeah Nar?"**

 **"Girls are weird."**

 **"Yes they are."**

"So true." Every male nodded in agreement.

"Of course." They all retorted.

 **Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_** **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **III**

"I want to read next," Thalia said. She plucked the book right from Jason's hands, too eager to see more of his childish antics to ask. The son of Jupiter gave his sister a dry look.

"...Here, Thalia. Let me hand you the book."

"Jay, shut up so I can read."

 **A year has passed since Naruto's first victory in the War Games. His redesign of Neptune's temple had gotten a few ruffled feathers in the senate, but most senators conceded to Abigail's defense of not angering the god of the sea by tearing it down.**

"Suck it, losers!" Poseidon laughed along with Percy. Zeus and Hades rolled their eyes at their brother's antics and the Romans agreed with Abigail's way of thinking.

 **Jason's support also seemed to keep Naruto off the radar of bullies on the senate and in the Legion, but during the following war game – Deathball – Jason emerged the MVP and outlasted Naruto because of the green-eyed boy taking a poisoned ball to the back that would've hit Jason in the head.**

"He literally took a bullet for you." Leo whistled. "Dude's got balls."

"I know." Jason grimaced as he rubbed a phantom pain on his arm. "Those hurt a lot."

"At least he can heal with water," Annabeth said. Percy gave her a dry stare.

"We still feel pain."

"I know."

 **Strangely enough, a warm bath seemed to clear away the abrasion that afflicted Naruto. It was attributed to his sire's domain's purifying attributes.**

"See?"

"Annabeth, it still hurts like hell!" Percy protested.

"Well if you tried to think things through once and a while, you would be able to avoid them," Annabeth said with a small smirk.

"...She really is the brains of the operation," Jason said.

"Shut up, Grace."

 **The two developed a friendly rivalry during the games they were involved in, seeing who could get the title of MVP or closest to it.**

"Note the word 'friendly'." Hestia pointed out. She looked at her youngest brothers with a frown. "Why can't you two be like that?"

Zeus and Poseidon remained silent, preferring to look in other directions and avoid her questioning gaze.

 **Another change over the year was the acceptance of Misaki as a friend. While Jason still kept her at arm's length and was wary of the obviously scheming daughter of Venus of the Second Cohort,**

"Smart boy." Artemis smirked as Aphrodite pouted.

"She's perfectly fine!" The goddess of love protested.

"Yes, because scheming is always a good thing."

"It _is_ a good thing! It makes things more fun!"

 **Naruto told her everything that was on his mind and would often seek her out while Jason studied nobly and trained under the watchful gaze of their Cohort's centurion. Today was no different.**

 **Naruto was struggling with the structure of the Legion and some history lessons that he didn't find all that invigorating. So this guy did this and became Emperor, or he killed this person and became infamous, so what? Why would that affect him now?**

"Bro, I feel you." Percy whispered. Finally, he found a kindred spirit! Studying sucked the biggest of ones.

 **"It really doesn't matter who did what." Misaki said, flipping through a history book. "The saying 'history repeats itself' isn't far from the truth, Naruto. People overthrow the cruel leaders. Armies fight and Mars becomes stronger with every war, ranging from civil to world."**

"…That is very true." Athena begrudgingly conceded to the logic.

"She seems rather intelligent for an eight year old." Artemis muttered, Aphrodite still heard her and beamed smugly. This made the goddess of the hunt scowl.

 **"Oh...Why doesn't the history book just say that?" Naruto asked.**

"I know, right?!"

"Percy." Annabeth frowned at her boyfriend. "That doesn't apply to you."

"...Naruto's so lucky..." mumbled a pouting Percy.

 **He crossed his arms as he looked towards Temple Hill. "I mean, I can understand the need for stories on the gods, they're kind of important here."**

"No, duh." The Olympians snorted.

 **"That's an understatement, sweetie." Misaki said, smiling as Naruto gained a cringe. He wasn't keen on the cutie names yet.**

"Staking her claims, I'm sure. Smart girl." Aphrodite nodded.

"More liking sinking her claws into the poor boy." Artemis corrected.

"Oh, do you care about the boy?"

"No, I'm just afraid that your daughter will become far too alike to you."

"How is that a bad thing?"

"...We only need _one_ goddess of lust and love," Hephaestus grunted out firmly. Aphrodite gave him a disapproving glower while Artemis nodded.

"My point exactly," the Huntress said.

 **Misaki was still a little weird at times and it was during those times he wished she was a bit like Abby, who was probably the only cool girl in the Legion.**

Aphrodite pouted and crossed her arms while Apollo beamed.

"Oh yeah! You go Abby!" The sun god cheered.

"...You do remember that he's crushing on her, right?" Aphrodite asked.

"Oh yeah..." Apollo dimmed. He pursed his lips. "I don't know how to feel about this."

"Pray he's not like Dite's version," Ares said with a smirk.

"Piss off."

 **"Please don't call me that, Misaki." He said.**

 **"I promise nothing." She said with a giggle. "Now back to the history, if you can see the patterns you can use it to your advantage."**

 **"Really?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Yes. For instance, you could prevent some serious bad things from happening or turn the tide in your favor."**

"Again, strategically sound." Athena pointed out.

"She's good." Annabeth complimented. She couldn't argue with that.

 **Misaki said, gaining Naruto's attention through clever wordplay. She learned very quickly that sea-related idioms and terms would always make him perk up his ears.**

Annabeth rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Maybe she should try that on Percy.

Poseidon and Percy meanwhile wondered if they did the same.

 **"Cool!" Naruto said, now very eager to learn a bit more. Misaki smiled and set the book down, inviting him to sit next to her. Her smile grew a bit more as he sat next to her and looked over the book, listening to her intently until their lesson came to an end and it was time for him to go help the Fifth Cohort do some labor work in New Rome. While Naruto raced off to his cohort, Misaki calmly picked up the history book and carried it with her back towards her own. She nearly walked into a skinny boy with sunny blond hair, similar to Naruto's, but a detached look in his sky blue eyes and a scowl locked on his face as he watched Naruto leave.**

"Oh yeah," Jason said dryly. He gained a grimace "He just arrived around this time."

"I say you kill him." Hazel admitted without hesitation. Percy and Frank nodded in agreement.

"Hazel, you cannot just kill a legionary…even if it is _Octavian_." Reyna grumbled and rubbed her temples.

"Watch me."

 **"Excuse me. Were you eavesdropping on a private conversation?" Misaki asked, a bit annoyed with how he standing there.**

"Yeah, _Bitch_ -avian, were you?" Leo asked mockingly. He shivered when Hestia sent him a mild glare.

"Uh, Leo, don't use that word again." Jason warned.

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Ahem." Zeus cleared his throat.

"...Right..."

 **"If I were, it was only by chance." The boy said. He glanced back to the direction Naruto raced off to and snorted. "Teaching him strategy, probably not the best idea for our Legion. We'd be better off without him, wouldn't you say?"**

"Little bastard," Poseidon said with a scowl.

"So true." Apollo grimaced painfully.

 **Misaki's eyes narrowed slightly, but her smile remained wide and open. "And why would I care for the opinion of a freshly deflowered probatio?"**

"Do you guys smell that?" Leo sniffed the air. "I-I, I think Octy just got burned."

"Third degree." Frank grinned.

 **"Watch your tongue!" The boy said with a hiss. "I am the legacy of the prophetic Apollo, next Augur of the Roman Legion and member of the** ** _First_** **Cohort. My name is Octavian."**

"So he was so full of himself from the very start, huh?" Percy said dryly. Jason grimly nodded in agreement.

 **"The pleasure is mine, Octavian." Misaki said with a false smile on her face, her charmspeak protecting her from the legacy's ability to see through lies.**

"Seriously?" Piper asked her mother who nodded and Apollo pouted.

"I hate that, so much."

"Deal with it, Apollo."

 **"But once again, why should I care for someone who is 'soon to be' rather than current?"**

"This girl is my new hero," Hazel said. Anyone who could insult that slime ball so smoothly was A-Okay in her books.

 **"I will not be mocked by one who seeks out bad luck." Octavian said, sneering at her. "Sleeping with the devil, you certainly are a lot like Venus."**

"…That little _shit_." Aphrodite said, eyes narrowed dangerously along with mostly with everyone else. Even Artemis as Misaki was eight and she was the protector of maidens. Even if it was the love goddess's child.

 **"...You do know how...pedophiliac that was, oui?" Misaki asked, smiling devilishly as Octavian's face turned red.**

"Does she have a fan club?" Hazel asked. Everyone laughed and she blinked. "I was being serious."

"I don't believe she does. I think I would start one." Reyna openly admitted. That was a wonderful insult.

 **"I am only eight years old, after all. Should I tell the Praetors of your true colors in accordance to a young girl? I fear for my virtue."**

"I highly agree." Artemis said with a scrunch of her nose. "I think I faded a little just now."

"Nah, you're fine." Apollo waved off her concern while Aphrodite glared at her.

 **"You dare mock me?" Octavian asked, glaring daggers at her. "When the Centurion hears of this...!"**

"Whine, whine, whine...Kid's a pathetic little bitch." Ares rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's his big threat? Run to a superior, what a wimp!"

 **"Hey, Misaki! Guess what? The job was moved to tomorrow on account of the upcoming festival tonight to celebrate the last Praetors' firstborn son." Naruto said as he ran back up to the girl. He was oblivious of the angered glare he got from Octavian.**

 **"That's great Naruto!" Misaki said as she turned a one eighty and beamed at him.**

"She can certainly act well." Apollo mused. The love goddess gave him a sly look.

"Does she have a chance at a career?"

"Oh, for sure. Could always use more intelligent child actors. Nowadays, they just grow up to be the same damn thing as the other child actors. Really sad to be honest."

 **She looked back to the boy whose name she already forgot. "Naruto, meet, hm, what was it again?" She tapped her chin with a laced finger in mock thought before her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. "Octy! Naruto, meet Octy."**

"Hail Misaki!" The Romans (and Percy) cheered.

 **"What?! No it's-!"**

 **"Like an octopus?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head, wow, sucks for this guy. He must have been picked on all his life.**

Everyone laughed once more.

"That was awesome!" Percy snickered as he held his sides. "Nice follow up, bro."

 **"Bingo~!" Misaki winked at him with a hand on her hip as it was jutted to the side while her other arm hung lazily at the other side.**

"Striking poses?"

"I think it's cute!" The mother told her daughter. "It was very adorable and fit her personality very well. ...Maybe-"

"No." Piper denied her flatly.

"Oh, come on, Piper. At least let me finish my suggestion!"

 **"Wow, sorry for the bad name, Octy." Naruto said genuinely.**

 **"My name isn't Octy, you buffoon!" Octavian said, losing his cool. "I am Octavian, legacy of Apollo and member of the First Cohort!"**

"No need to yell, dude," Leo said with a small smirk. "He should chill out."

 **"...Oh, you're the guy that took Richie's spot after he...died." Naruto said, wincing at the memory of the last Augur-to-be's corpse's return from a quest done alongside Misaki's friend Samantha. He wasn't too keen on meeting the monster that did** ** _that_** **to him.**

"Poor little Roman," Athena said without any sincerity whatsoever.

 **"However, he wasn't so...twiggy." Misaki said with a thoughtful hum as she looked Octavian over. "Seriously, you shouldn't throw up everything you eat. It does explain the bad breath, though." She popped open her purse and began rummaging through it, pulling out a small roll of mints and offered them to him. None to quietly, she whispered "You need it."**

Apollo started a slow clap that everyone followed until the chamber was booming with applause.

"Why can't she be real?" Aphrodite pouted. "My little girl is so witty!"

"Well, she could be, theoretically-"

"Hermes, shut up. Now." Hera, Hephaestus, Athena and Artemis glared at the god.

"...Right, yeah, never mind."

 **"I will not stand for this a second longer!" Octavian said. He was so mad, his face turning an interesting shade of purple.**

"We sure he ain't D's legacy?"

"Fuck you, Ares." The god of wine glared at the smirking war god.

"Dionysus!"

 **"You've made an enemy, Legionnaire Shokuhou. And you, son of the** ** _sea_** **god!" A finger was thrust in Naruto's face. "You keep your distance, earth shaker. Nothing good comes from your kind."**

"Asshole." Percy grit his teeth.

"I think that Octy bite off more than he can chew." Apollo mused.

"True, Naruto is Naruto…he's screwed." Hermes nodded.

 **"What's that supposed to mean!?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. Octavian said nothing, turning on his heel and walking back towards the First cohort barracks. Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "What a grade-A jerk."**

"You said it, Naruto." Hazel nodded to his statement.

 **"You said it." Misaki said. Unseen by the son of Neptune, her eyes narrowed and you could see beyond her bubbly princess persona. A dark, cold and calculating look appeared within her normally bright starry eyes and Misaki made a small hum.**

"Holy sh-crap..." Leo whispered, correcting himself when Hestia sent him a glare. "I was right."

"About what?" Jason asked, hearing him.

"Well…"

 ** _An enemy, hm? How very interesting...A new toy to play with._** **Misaki smirked a bit.** ** _I hope he doesn't break too easily, because when I play, I play rough._**

"She's an evil version of Annabeth!" Leo cried out. His declaration got him some odd looks, particularly one of offense from Annabeth.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Princess-like blonde hair, scarily smart as a young age, uses a dagger, really pretty–" Percy frowned at that last comparison, but Leo continued. "She is like an evil Roman Annabeth."

"Leo." Reyna deadpanned. "We aren't evil."

"But _she_ is! Did you not hear her thoughts of breaking Octy? Even if the dude deserves it…That's a bit much for an eight-year-old."

"...Oh god, you're right." Percy mumbled. He could see Misaki in a whole new light and it scared him. The similarities were...terrifying.

Annabeth glared at the image of the girl, so she had an evil Roman counterpart, huh?

"...I believe it." Artemis nodded. She smirked. "Anything from Aphrodite or Venus is definitely evil."

"How dare you!"

"Ladies..." Hestia warned and looked at the Hunter. "Thalia, please continue."

 **Two years passed again, and with time, Jason and Naruto have made sufficient names for themselves in the Legion. Jason was quickly becoming known as Rome's Javelin, for his quick and efficient plans in battle, gaining a lot of attention from Tim and being asked to accompany meetings of strategic war plans.**

"The 'Javelin'?" Thalia looked at Jason with a quirked lip. She, unlike the other demigods, was able to _barely_ withstand from laughing at Jason's red face and twitching eye.

Even Reyna was letting out small laughs.

"Shut up. Now." The son of Jupiter grit out.

"Whatever you say ...Javelin."

Jason groaned into his hands. He hated this story. So much.

 **Naruto, along with being known as the living Earthshaker and having to deal with a huge amount of bias because of it.**

Poseidon frowned. It was both a good and bad nickname for his Roman son. Seriously, his kids were to the Romans like Hades' were to the Greeks.

 **Misaki's title of Second Cohort's Princess stuck firmly after her own MVP awarding in a game of Siege, where she captured several prisoners by just asking them to throw their weapons down. Her use of Charmspeak had been called into question by the Senate, but Abby had come to her defense by saying it was a natural gift and shouldn't be forbidden from use.**

"Exactly!" Aphrodite nodded sternly. "Honestly, a gift was a gift. Use it to the limit, reach for the stars, Misaki!"

 **Currently, the two pack-brothers were being led by their favorite Praetor through the camp. She had asked for them during one of their training drills, definitely sending some red alerts through their heads.**

 **"Why are we going to Temple Hill, Rachel?" Jason asked, raising a brow in question.**

 **"Let me answer that question by going over the Legion's forces. Most of our forces are made of legacies, a few direct descendants being rare, especially among the Olympians." Rachel said, looking over her shoulder at him with a smile on her face. "As such, most families are in New Rome and easily visited. But for direct descendants like you two and myself, we have the option of leave every few months."**

"Like real soldiers?"

"Yes, Leo, like real soldiers…because we _are_ soldiers." Jason frowned and looked at Thalia, who gave her own sad look to him.

 **"Leave?" Naruto asked, frowning in confusion. "Leave to where?"**

"Yeah, its not like the kid is going to remember his address." Apollo said.

"Well, he could. They had some pretty good dialogue when they were four," Hermes said.

"...So did you."

"My point exactly."

 **"That's the question isn't it?" Rachel asked. "You two have been here for over five years straight, which is common, but you're in your seventh year, both of you have earned at least a month away from the Legion."**

"Only a month?" Thalia asked Reyna, who shrugged.

"Both are sired from the Big Three. They are the Legion's future heavy hitters. The Praetors would most likely want to keep them close and train them properly."

"That is what happened…only I didn't really take a leave other then maybe seeing Lupa every once in a while." Jason admitted.

 **"This isn't negotiable is it?" Jason asked, frowning.**

"What a stiff."

"Shut up, Leo."

 **"No. Consider it an order." Rachel said.**

"I like her." Thalia smiled, it was nice her little brother had someone like that watching over him.

Even if it still made her feel like she missed everything.

 **"Now, back to your original question, we're going to seek help from Lord Mercury, god of travelers, merchants and messengers to see if we can find where you can go."**

"So we get to meet the boring Hermes?"

"Apollo, bro, Phoebus was the dick, remember?"

"I said boring, not an asshole."

"Boys!" Hestia said sternly. Honestly, all the foul language was ruining her good mood!

"Sorry Aunt Hestia." The two choired.

 **"I like this order." Naruto said, reaching into his camp shirt and pulling out his mom's dog tags. Jason watched his friend rub his thumb over the name as he often did to calm his nerves. He could understand, Naruto still wanted to find his mom.**

"I'd do it." Percy nodded, fully supportive of his brother.

 **It was better than waiting to get a quest to leave to find her. Jason wondered if he could find that nice girl that took care of him.**

"Not so soon, sadly." Thalia sighed out. Jason rubbed her arm soothingly.

 **"I figured one of you would." Rachel said. Jason understood what she meant. Naruto was not a fan of being restricted to camp**

"Whoo!" Poseidon cheered and Zeus rolled his eyes.

 **and would constantly deflate for a day or two when he wasn't picked for a quest, whereas Jason was more than happy to stay in the camp. What could he say? Jason was a fan of order.**

"Gets it from his stiff of a father."

"Be silent, Hades." Zeus grunted at his brother.

 **They walked into Mercury's temple and Jason immediately felt welcomed. Must be due to their forced leave and their preparation to go on a trip. Mercury must be watching out for them.**

"It's what I do." Hermes smiled. "Ah, to travel..."

 **As he and Naruto knelt next to Rachel, Jason wondered why that could be.**

 **"Swift Lord Mercury, god of travelers, hear my plea. I, Rachel Larson, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, ask you for guidance. Give us a sign, where should the sons of Jupiter and Neptune go?" Rachel asked, looking up to the statue hopefully.**

"That was so flowery, I think I threw up a little, " Ares said with a grimace.

"I happen to like it!" Hermes scowled at him and crossed his arms.. "It's nice to be appreciated."

 **"To the coast." A man said behind them. The three Romans jumped, Jason hanging in it for a second, and spun around to face the newcomer. He had short sandy blond hair slicked back and hanging lowly on his nose were some rather classy square-framed glasses, the lenses adding a small twinkle to his blue eyes. He was dressed in a nice business suit and in his hand was some sort of small black rectangular device, a phone Jason recalled after seeing Misaki use hers. He raised his left hand in a small wave. "Hello."**

"Take me to your leader," Apollo said in a robot voice, gestures included.

"Ha-ha, you're _so_ funny." Hermes rolled his eyes.

"I try."

"You honestly don't look that different," Percy said.

"It's how we _act_ , not look." Hermes corrected him.

"Unless you're Zeus." Hades mumbled with a smirk. The Thunder God glared at him.

So he went blond as a Roman, so what?

 **"L-Lord Mercury!" Rachel said in surprise, kneeling before him. "Welcome, Lord Mercury. Thank you for answering my plea. The honor I-we feel is unfathomable."**

"Got the poor girl stammering." Hermes snickered.

Reyna seemed amused, "That is quite funny to be honest. The gods rarely come to see us after all."

 **"Thank you, Lord Mercury." The two blond boys quickly followed their Praetor's example.**

 **"Now, now, I haven't got time for your praise.**

"Yep. Busy, busy, busy." Hermes sighed. "Barely get a nap in for a second..."

 **I came to help Jason and Naruto. By the way, nice job on Neptune's temple, kid. Good use of the materials I got you." Mercury said, smiling lightly at Naruto.**

"Well, if I like his brother, there's no doubt that Mercury will like Naruto." Hermes said. "Especially after we saw the fruits of his labor."

"Another thing he received from his father, it would seem." Zeus mused.

Poseidon rolled his eyes, but continued to smile along with Percy for Hermes' words.

 **Naruto laughed and reached behind his head to rub it sheepishly from the praise. "Well, thanks for the nice gold trident and all the carved marble."**

 **"Anytime. Not often I get a crown, you know." Mercury said before tapping the screen of his phone. "Anyway, I'll send out one message each to your chosen destination. Let's start with the contracting son of Neptune first."**

"That's really cool of him." Frank said. He'd never had the chance to take leave, so he didn't really know what happened.

 **"...I-I want to find my mom." Naruto said quietly, looking down and grabbing his dog tags. Rachel and Jason watched as Mercury's thumbs blurred over the many buttons. After he did that, he reached into his suit and pulled out a card, turning it over in his hand and offering it to the son of Neptune.**

 **"Done. Your mother will be expecting you at the address on this card. I'm assuming you'll be taking the buses?" Mercury asked, looking to Rachel.**

"And my fingers are smoking once again, hold the applause. Please."

"We will." Artemis rolled her eyes playfully, but Apollo mock applauded anyway.

 **The Praetor nodded and he gave a curt nod of his own as Naruto took the card, holding it carefully in both hands. The god of travelers looked to Jason next. "And for the son of Jupiter?"**

 **"I want to see the girl who I grew up with, but, all I know is her name starts with Ta-"**

"Aw..." Thalia smiled and gave her brother a half-hug, one he readily gave back.

 **"Thalia Grace, your older sister." The god cut him off, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sadly, that is a message even I cannot deliver due to...technicalities."**

"By technicalities, he means she was a tree…and Greek, too, I guess." Hades mused with a morbid chuckle, which earned him a glare from his youngest brother.

 **"Technicalities?" Jason asked, his brows furrowing together. The only reason he could think of that the god of messengers couldn't deliver his message would be one thing. "I-Is she dead?"**

"No, tree coma." Thalia said, trying to make her situation slightly funny, but Jason was still frowning. "Sorry."

 **"Jason, don't think like that!" Rachel said as she put a hand on his shoulder in effort to comfort the boy.**

 **"Not exactly." Mercury said, making the three look at him. "The details are complicated, and I would prefer to leave it at that."**

"Because of the separation and all." Hera rolled her eyes.

 **"Yes, lord Mercury." The three said a bit reluctantly.**

 **"Good. Now, I must be off. I have some business to attend to in New York." Mercury said, a bit of a cringe on his face when thinking of the east coast.**

"Honestly." Athena muttered and rolled her eyes.

Hermes shrugged. "Hey, they like the West, we love the East-"

"I _love_ the East!" Apollo grinned.

"...Don't remind us." Artemis groaned.

 **He vanished in a gust of wind, possibly moving so fast that he made it. A ghostly image of him remained, smiling at the two young demigods. "Good luck on your trip."**

 **And it vanished just as fast as the god did.**

"…Now that was cool." Percy mumbled. Super-speed for the win.

 **"Jason..." Rachel said softly, making him look at her. She had an apologetic look in her eyes and a similar smile on her face. "She's not dead."**

"I like her." Thalia smiled.

 **"But it's complicated." Jason said, frowning. "Which means she might be close to it."**

 **"Maybe she's frozen or something." Naruto said. "Or in a coma."**

"Amazing." Athena muttered, Poseidon's Roman spawn guessed correctly.

Poseidon smirked when he heard her words.

 **"Not helping, Nar." Jason said with a frown. Naruto's heart was in the right place, putting a term to something always helped Jason solve a problem he couldn't understand. But comas were fickle, according to Abigail's lessons in medicine, and being frozen...well, Jason wouldn't appreciate all that ice.**

"Foreshadowing," Leo said mysteriously.

Piper playfully shoved the snickering Latino and rolled her eyes.

 **"Sorry." Naruto said. A beat passed. "...You could come with me."**

 **"What?" Jason blinked as he looked at Naruto.**

 **"No, not could. You** ** _have_** **to come! You promised!" Naruto said, grinning. "Remember? Before we came to camp."**

"Yeah, Jason." Piper smirked. "You promised."

Her boyfriend smiled at her, he did promise and he would undoubtedly go with Naruto.

 **"...I guess I did." Jason said softly. Rachel rubbed his shoulder soothingly, as if knowing that wasn't exactly what he was hoping to do. She always seemed to understand him a bit better than anyone else.**

"Almost like a big sister." Nico smirked.

"I like her, but don't push it, Death Breath."

 **Naruto beamed and declared he would go tell Misaki they were leaving, rushing off before the two could stop him.**

 **"At least you have a name now." Rachel said.**

"True." Thalia nodded with a smile.

 **"...It's not the same, though." Jason said in return.**

"Also true, sadly." Jason said as Thalia frowned.

 **"I suppose not, but now you can pray to the gods for her." Rachel said, rubbing Jason's shoulder. He quirked a smile a bit at that, making her smile back. "You'd best go find Naruto and bring him back. I have the bus passes back at the Praetors' Chambers."**

 **"Yes, Praetor." Jason said, running off to find his friend.**

 **"I really shouldn't be this surprised." Jason said, finding Naruto with ease. He may have been minutes behind, but time and practice have taught him all of Misaki and her minions' known hangouts.**

"My baby has minions!" Aphrodite gasped. She giggled and clapped her hands. "Yay!"

"Aphrodite, that's not a good thing!"

"On the contrary, Artemis, it so very much is!"

 **The common mess hall was just one of the few places in public eye where they were most often found. At a rather girl-oriented table, Naruto was sitting next to Misaki, who had scooted a bit closer than normal, and from the look on her face, he could tell that Naruto would need an extraction soon.**

"No," Aphrodite glared at the blond. "Bad Jason!"

Jason shrugged her irritation off.

 **As he walked closer, he could hear their conversation.**

 **"You're leaving and you're not taking me? Naruto, I thought we were friends." Misaki said, pouting at the green-eyed blond.**

"Yes, take her to meet her future mother-in-law!"

"…They are _ten_." Hera pointed out.

"And your point is...?" Aphrodite asked.

"Today's society is not as accepting of those their young age being so legally bound." Hera pointed out.

"They're still babies in our eyes," Hestia added.

Aphrodite frowned. "Party poopers."

 **"We are friends, Misaki." Naruto said, reassuring her. "But this is the first time I get to see my mom in years."**

 **"Then how come Jay-Jay gets to go?" Misaki asked, adding a bit of a whine.**

"Yeah, Jay-Jay," Leo snickered, "Why do you get to go?"

Jason groaned at the name and Piper smirked at him.

"Come on, Jay-Jay. Relax," she said.

"Piper, not you, too!"

 **Jason rolled his eyes but continued his quiet approach.**

 **"Because Jay's my pack-brother." Naruto said, grinning proudly. "Why wouldn't he come?"**

"Aw," Thalia teased and pinched Jason's cheek. "Isn't that sweet of him?"

"Guh, stop it already." The blond pouted and swatted her hand away.

"Never, _Jay_ - _Jay_."

"…I hate Misaki." Jason grumbled as he rubbed his head.

 **"Humph." Misaki pouted a bit more, taking a bite of the slice of cake that was before her. Jason didn't bother asking where or how she got it.**

"Since when do we have cake?" Hazel asked. Reyna frowned.

"We tend not to unless it is a special occasion."

"Totally snuck it in." Hermes grinned. This girl was a sly devil.

 **He'd rather not try to extract information from her and wind up telling another secret about himself. He would, however, end her charade before it could get too crowded on the bus. Going on a trip with just Naruto was one thing, going with Naruto and Misaki...that's a whole different story.**

"Ahh, I see how it is." Leo nodded. "Jason wants Naruto all to himself."

"Leo!" Jason turned bright red at the notion as a lot laughed at his reaction.

"If it helps..." Nico gave him a small smirk. "You two look great together."

Jason just glared at him, "Ha. Ha."

 **"Naruto, c'mon, we've got to go." Jason said, finally revealing himself as he planted a hand on Naruto's shoulder.**

 **"Don't you want to stay for cake, Jay-Jay?" Misaki asked, smiling at him.**

"Yeah, have some cake, Jason. Gods know how rare of a chance we get to have it." Frank said, taking a sidelong glance at Reyna.

"We have to maintain a proper diet." The war girl huffed.

 **"No." Jason said flatly. Who knew what she laced that cake with? Jason wouldn't put it past her to try something.**

"Okay," Piper frowned at Jason. "Now, you are being paranoid."

"Am not." "He's not." The Grace siblings argued. The couple looked at Thalia and she smirked.

"Just wait."

 **Like that time she got Octavian to turn bright yellow. No one could blame her, but Jason knew she had something to do with it after Naruto sung praises to the 'mysterious' prankster, because she had gained a bright smile that just wouldn't go away.**

"...Wow, okay, I take it back." Piper snickered out while the other demigods laughed with a few of the Olympians.

"We need to build a shrine to this girl." Hazel awed.

"No." The gods flatly denied.

 **"Naruto, c'mon."**

 **"Right, right." Naruto said, getting up. Misaki pouted at him when he smiled at her. "Bye Misaki!"**

 **"You'd better bring me something nice." She said, making him laugh as they left. Misaki turned back to her table and resumed talking with her friends/minions.**

"I bet she's plotting another event to humiliate Octavian." Frank grinned. This was making his day.

 **"Why can't we wear our camp shirts again?" Naruto asked, looking down at the large green shirt that replaced the purple and gold he loved so dearly.**

"They are awesome." Jason nodded.

"You'd think Naruto would like orange more." Annabeth noted, getting a few snickers.

"Well, he is missing the 'yellow' aspect of his father," Poseidon said knowingly. "And the sea is blue."

"Best color ever."

"Percy, shut up." Annabeth rolled her eyes. She furrowed her brows together and then widened her eyes. "Red and blue make purple..."

"Ohh..." The other demigods came to the same conclusion Annabeth did. Naruto favored the blend of colors that were attributed to his parents. So since Minato wasn't yellow here...

"...Purple's okay, I guess..." Percy mumbled.

Annabeth groaned.

 **They had said their farewells to their cohort, Centurion and their Praetors – though Tim was rather blunt in saying he wasn't going to shake their hand or hug them like Rachel did – and were loading up in a small bus at a stop located outside the camp's secret entrance.**

 **"Because, Naruto, we're technically on a quest and subtlety is important." Jason said, sighing as he plopped down in a seat on the bus.**

"Children of the sea have no ability with subtly." Percy noted factually about himself.

Poseidon brooded when his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews (and Athena) looked at him.

"Shut up." He grumbled maturely.

 **"Sit down."**

 **"Yes master." Naruto said with a smirk, plopping down next to him. Jason rolled his eyes and both relaxed in their seat as the bus went through the tunnel, past the secret entrance they had left through before, and broke through onto the highway. "Well, might as well get some sleep."**

 **"You do that." Jason said, looking out the window at all the cars that passed by. It was a rather long trip, sixty minutes and thirty-two seconds by Jason's count.**

"That's, like, _forever_." Leo groaned.

"And on a bus?!" Percy groaned with him and flopped back into the couch. "The horror!"

 **Boy did he get bored on that bus. He figured since they were leaving camp something bad would happen, but then, about twenty minutes in to the drive, he remembered Mercury's duties and figured the god must have blessed the both of them.**

"You're welcome!" Hermes sang and buffed his nails on his shirt.

 **Well, that just took all excitement out of it.**

Hermes' smile faltered and he gave Jason a dull look.

"You're welcome." He said with less enthusiasm.

"Sorry, sir."

 **They got off of the greyhound at the corner of a suburban neighborhood and Naruto readjusted his bracers, the sun gleaming off of the golden tridents catching Jason's eye. He remembered the first time Naruto had used them in what he dubbed his 'favorite' War Game, Gladiator Fights.**

"Huh, perhaps this one isn't so dull after all." Dionysus mused with an interested gleam in his eye.

 **Naruto and Jason were knocked out early by Tim, who was the reigning champion,**

"Whoo!" Ares cheered and Frank smirked himself.

 **but Naruto had managed to get a few good hits in that left a mighty big black eye on the Praetor's face.**

"Nice." Percy grinned as Ares scowled at how the brat got a lucky shot.

 **Since then, Naruto had been getting hand-to-hand lessons from Tim while Rachel taught Jason how to better use his spear, since that was her weapon of choice as well.**

 **"So where does she live, exactly?" Jason asked. Naruto looked down at the card he'd been handling with extreme care.**

 **"546 43rd Avenue." Naruto said. The two blondes looked at the street sign near them. "That's the 42nd...Wow, we're lucky."**

"Super lucky." Nico noted.

 **"Zack must rub off on us...That or Mercury blessed us without us knowing." Jason said.**

 **"Probably both." Naruto said, shrugging.**

"Possible." Reyna nodded in agreement. Eyes turned to Hermes.

"...What? I did say that I liked the kid's bro and Merc would like him."

 **The two of them walked towards the next block and rounded the corner, looking at the street houses until coming across a skinny, two storied red house. Gold numbers hung above the garage matching the ones on the card in Naruto's hand. Naruto stood at the end of the driveway for a moment.**

 **"Nar...Stop fidgeting. It's only a house. I'm pretty sure it won't hate you." Jason said.**

"He's nervous, hasn't seen his Mom in years and your picking on him for fun? Not cool Jason..." Percy glared at the son of Jupiter.

"I was just kidding. Geez, Percy." Jason mumbled and rolled his eyes at Percy's glare. "No wonder Thalia calls you a 'Momma's Boy."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Percy and Hera said together, the latter with a frown aimed at her champion.

 **"Shut up, Jason!" Naruto said, a bit red in the cheeks.**

 **"...Stop fiddling with your shirt and let's go already."**

 **"Ju-just give me a minute, okay?"**

"He has to look presentable." Aphrodite nodded in agreement.

 **Jason sighed but could understand. Naruto probably had so many thoughts rushing through his head, Jason imagined they'd be of the same strand as his own if he met Thalia. 'Would she like me?' being the key thought going through their head.**

"Of course I would." Thalia smiled at him. "I still think you could try to lighten up."

"Thanks, sis." Jason said dryly.

"I try."

 **Love wasn't a factor here...okay, maybe it was a little, but liking as in approving of how they (Jason and Naruto) grew up was a bigger issue. It was one thing not to love you at all, because as Misaki constantly told them, love was the strongest and most malleable of emotions mortals – and gods – had.**

"Amen, sister." Piper smirked. Man, she couldn't wait for her other to meet Misaki.

 **Liking someone for who they were was a whole different story.**

 **A good example of this is Octavian, a slimy member of the First Cohort that just didn't feel right to Jason and Naruto. They would probably never love him and they most definitely wouldn't like him. But Misaki, however, was a girl that thought herself better and showed that she could change her views, causing Jason and Naruto to change their own. Now, does that mean Jason doesn't think she's up to something? No. Jason** ** _knows_** **Misaki is up to something, but he can understand that it is who she is and accept her for it.**

"Is she always up to something?" Nico asked.

"Like mother, like daughter."

"Shush, Artemis." Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

 **"Ready?" Jason asked after giving his friend another minute. Naruto took a deep breath before nodding, walking up with Jason to the door. Stepping up to the stoop, Naruto raised his hand to knock on the door, but hesitate. Jason, a bit fed up of waiting, and tired from doing nothing on the bus, lifted his hand and knocked on the door.**

"Gets that impatience from his father." Poseidon remarked, and got a glare for it.

"I hear ya." Percy said, taking a sidelong glance at Thalia.

"Shut up, fish boy."

"Hm, nah. I'm good."

 **"Dude!"**

 **"Shut up. You took too long."**

 **"One moment!" A woman's voice called, muffled by the door and sounding a bit distant. They waited on the stoop and just when Naruto shifted his foot in preparation to bolt – Jason would've stopped him, he didn't ride on that bus for an hour just to not to meet this woman Naruto was so insistent (understandably so) about meeting – the door flung open. A woman opened the door, dressed in sweatpants, flip-flops and a white tank top underneath a blue apron that said Hott Momma with orange and red lettering on it. Her red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, but she still had the tension and alert shoulders of a soldier.**

"Hott Mamma indeed."

"Apollo!" Poseidon frowned at the god.

"What? I married her in the Apoluto series. I can say what I want!"

Poseidon begrudgingly conceded to that.

"And I was her." Aphrodite added but frowned and rubbed her chin. "She could have worn something a bit more fashionable."

"...Really?" Artemis asked. "You're going to judge her attire?"

"Of course not!" Aphrodite huffed. "I judge _everyone's_ attire!"

 **Jason watched from the side as Naruto looked up and the woman looked down, his friend's green eyes meeting with the woman's strange variation of violet. Naruto opened his mouth to say something when he was enveloped in a tight hug, the woman starting to sob openly. All of her tension and alertness melted away as she cried.**

"A mother knows her child out of sheer instinct." Hera nodded.

"Or it was Poseidon's eyes, sister." Demeter noted with a smile, making her younger sister frown.

 **"You're home. You're really home." She said through her tears. The woman pushed Naruto away for a second, cupping his cheeks as their eyes met again. "My little maelstrom..."**

"A proud name to live by." Poseidon smiled.

"I like Perseus better." Annabeth said and kissed Percy's cheek, which got a goofy smile from the boy.

 **"...Hi M-Mom..." Naruto said, finally. It made the redheaded woman let out a mix of a choked sob and a laugh before she hugged him again.**

 **"My baby's home." She said, turning and kissing him on the cheek and making Naruto groan.**

"Aww." That got some coos from the females.

 **Jason couldn't help but snicker at that, making the woman realize there was someone else there. "Oh...Hello."**

"Way to get on that radar, Jason."

"Very funny, Frank."

 **"Uh, hi Ms. Uzumaki. I'm Jason Grace."**

 **"Hello, Jason," she said, smiling. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki. You can call me Kushina, I'm not one for formalities."**

"Neither are we," Hermes said. He hummed in thought and sent a few looks around the chamber. "Well, some of us aren't anyway."

 **"If you say so..."**

 **"I insist." Kushina said, cutting him off. "How do you know Naruto?"**

 **"I, uh, I'm a friend of Naruto's from camp." Jason said.**

 **"He's also my pack-brother." Naruto said with a grin. At Kushina confused glance, Naruto elaborated. "Lupa prepared him for camp alongside me."**

"She does not like Lupa." Leo said with a shake of his head.

"I don't blame her." Hestia huffed slightly. She was a tad miffed at the Roman wolf-goddess for taking the dog tags.

 **"Please don't mention her around me, munchkin." Kushina said, easily falling into old habits as she ushered both boys in.**

"Oh, that's got to be a pain to be called that." Percy snickered.

 **"Munchkin?" Naruto and Jason asked.**

 **"Oh yes. You're my little munchkin." Kushina said, pulling Naruto into another hug and kissing him on the cheek again. "So easily portable."**

"Like…a package." Apollo said and he looked at Hermes, who glared back at him.

He isn't that short!

 **"Like during that game of D-Ball." Jason said, smirking at the flushed cheeks of his friend. Oh the dirt he would have on Naruto after all this was over.**

"I like scheming Jason, he's funny."

Jason palmed his face at Leo's commentary. He wasn't scheming!

...Mostly...

 **Kushina laughed at her son's pout and his friend's snickering, leading them into the dining room. She sat them down and went to the kitchen.**

 **"Can I get you two anything to drink?" She asked.**

 **"Some orange juice if you have it, please." Jason said.**

 **"I'll take a glass of water." Naruto said. Jason shoved him for his lack of manners, making Naruto roll his eyes.**

"What? It's his house," Percy said.

"So you don't thank your mother, Percy?" Hera asked.

"No, but that's because I haven't seen her in a while. I wonder why that is?"

That shut the Queen of Heaven as she gave the boy a light glare.

It took all of his power for Poseidon to not burst out in laughter while he glared at the Queen.

 **He sniffed the air after a second and Jason swore that he froze in his seat. His green eyes dilated and a bit of drool started to pool up at the corner of his mouth. "...Mom...what are you cooking?"**

"Ramen." Hazel said with a smirk.

"He's got a good nose." Nico mused.

 **"Hm? Oh! Well, since I got that random email for a small chain store called Neptune's Niche, I was thinking about my munchkin and made some ramen." Kushina said, walking back in with a glass of water and orange juice.**

"Neptune's Niche?" Hermes asked his uncle.

Poseidon shrugged. "Best seafood around."

"...Isn't that a bit twisted?" Hades asked.

"Oh like you're one to talk."

 **"Ramen?!" Naruto asked, looking like a kid in the candy store.**

 **"Yes." Kushina said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "My little munchkin truly is home." While Naruto groaned at the cutesy name, Kushina looked to Jason. "Can I get you some ramen, too, Jason?"**

"One of us. One of us." Leo, Frank, Percy, Hermes, and Apollo chanted.

 **"What's ramen?" Jason asked. Naruto looked as though Jason just committed blasphemy against the gods themselves while Kushina arched a brow.**

"Slay the heathen!" Nico cried out while pointing at Jason, who scowled at the boy. Not funny.

 **"What's ramen? Dear me, that camp must starve you." Kushina said, her head shaking in disapproval.**

"No they didn't." Jason mumbled.

 **"You're having a bowl, no arguments about it."**

 **Kushina ducked into the kitchen and with ease came back out with two steaming bowls of noodles, setting one in front of a giddy Naruto and the other in front of a hesitant Jason. Jason didn't want to be rude, unlike his friend who was currently inhaling the food like a vacuum, and so tentatively took his offered chopsticks. He had a bit of an issue handling the utensils, but Kushina helped him out, getting a sheepish thanks from the son of Jupiter.**

"I hate those things, give me a fork anytime," Leo said as Apollo snorted.

"Please, the spork is the way to go. Every time."

"You speak holy words of truth, god of the sun."

"Thanks kid."

 **After the first bite, Jason understood why Naruto loved the stuff. He wasn't an immediate addict like the son of Neptune, who was already being served a second helping, but wasn't going to say he didn't enjoy the taste. Eagerly, Jason continued to eat and even had a second helping, which was strange because he normally had one serving that sated him.**

"It's called, enjoying a meal, Jason." Piper teased with a snicker.

"…I know that." Jason pouted.

 **Once Jason finished his second and Naruto finished his fourth serving, Kushina began to ask questions about the camp.**

 **"So D-Ball. Is that a game you play at camp?" Kushina asked. Naruto nodded eagerly, being a huge fan of war games in general.**

"Not the best game to mention to a mother." Hestia frowned. It was far too violent for her liking, even to her Roman aspect.

 **"Yeah! According to Rachel, it's like some mortal-er, civilian game of paintball. Only with fireballs, acid balls, poison balls, spike balls and other dangerous stuff." Naruto said, making Kushina twitch.**

"He's busted." Nico snickered along with the other guys.

 **"...How dangerous exactly?" Kushina asked.**

 **"Not too dangerous." Jason said. "No one's died in ten years.**

"The shame." Athena mumbled dryly.

 **The camp's perfected a lot of antidotes since then." He gave Naruto a dry look. "And mister water healer doesn't have to worry about too much."**

"Water powers for the win." Percy pumped his fist.

 **"Jealous,** ** _Jay-Jay_** **?" Naruto asked with a smirk as he used his friend's hated nickname.**

 **"...Shut up." Jason said, scowling at his friend. "And don't call me that."**

 **"Aw, but it's cute. I'll bet your mother calls you that all the time." Kushina said with a tittering laugh.**

Thalia made a growling noise. "Please, like _that_ _selfish_ woman could ever show affection to anyone other than herself and Zeus."

"Thalia Grace." Zeus warned under his breath.

 **When Jason said nothing, she gave him a confused look again. "She doesn't?"**

 **"I don't know who my mother is." Jason said, shrugging it off nonchalantly. "I was with Lupa since I was two and left her with Naruto when I was four."**

 **"I'm so sorry, Jason." Kushina said with a sad look on her face. She blinked and Jason cringed as a look of manic concern crossed her face. "Wait, you left Lupa when you were four!?"**

"Wow, nice slip, Lil' Jason." Hazel whistled.

"Oh no..." Jason groaned. This was going to suck.

 **"She said we were ready." Naruto said, shrugging.**

 **"She kicked you out?!" Kushina asked, her voice rising a pitch. "That-! I can't even-! What kind of mother is she!? Stupid...I should've never listened to your father and just followed my gut and taken you on a boat! Letting two four year olds run around unattended!"**

"I love this woman." Thalia smirked while she nodded her head. "She's so right! You go, Kushina!"

 **"We were fine." Naruto said, his confused green eyes showing that he did not understand why she was so upset. "We managed to get to camp and we killed that boar, too!"**

"Nice job, little dudes." Leo chuckled when Jason groaned at the 'little dude' title.

 **"Which was your fault." Jason said.**

 **"Dude, just let it go." Naruto said, groaning.**

"Yeah, grudges are my shtick." Nico smirked.

 **"Is there anything else I should know about this camp?" Kushina asked.**

 **Naruto shrugged. "Not anything I can think of. I mean, after we got in and talked to the Praetors, they're the heads of the Legion-"**

 **"That you have to serve for ten years, yes I read that brochure when it came in the mail." Kushina said, smiling as her concern about never seeing her baby again was washed away. "Continue."**

"Where are our brochures?" Percy asked Annabeth, who shrugged in return.

 **"Well, after we met Rachel and Tim, we got our tattoos and–"**

"…You two are without a doubt related." Annabeth muttered as Percy pouted at her. Even he wouldn't mention his tattoo to his mom – Oh crap, he had a tattoo...his mom was going to kill him!

 **"Tattoos?" Kushina asked, cutting Naruto off again. Naruto beamed and lifted his shirt up, missing Jason's curt look to not do just that. Jason was good at sensing when danger was near, but Naruto...not so much.**

"At least one of you has that ability," Reyna said dryly. She felt sorry for the son of Neptune, but he brought it upon himself.

 **Rolling his shirt up and showing off the trident with the SPQR and six lines underneath it, Naruto was taken by surprise when Kushina grabbed his arm and looked at it with anger building on her face. "You have a tattoo!? You're only ten!"**

"It's worse." Frank winced.

 **"Yeah, but I've had mine since I was four."**

 **"FOUR?!"**

"Motor Mouth Poseidon Syndrome. Bound to kick in at all the wrong times," Hades said with a smirk. Zeus laughed at his brother's joke.

Poseidon huffed and brooded.

 **"Jason got one, too!"**

Jason gaped. "That little sellout!"

"Smart kid." Hermes nodded.

 **"WHAT?!"**

 **"Traitor." Jason said, glaring at his apologetic looking friend. Kushina rounded on him quickly.**

 **"Let me see it." Kushina said, her rage just about to reach its limit. Not really in the mood to argue with the older, stronger and way more infuriated woman, Jason pulled his sleeve up. Seeing the eagle and the same amount of lines pushed the rage past that limit. "Those-I can't believe they would brand you! They're coming off!"**

"Go for it!"

"Thalia!" Jason said, giving his sister a glare.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"We've had this talk."

"Doesn't mean I'm not right," Thalia said with a smirk. She turned back to the book, prepared to read. "Go Kushina!"

Jason palmed his face.

His sister was so weird.

 **"What?!" "No!" Naruto and Jason said, Jason pushing his sleeve down and shifting away from the woman.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki, you will listen to me. That** ** _tattoo_** **is coming off!" the way Kushina said tattoo had so much malice in it that Jason was sure she would've removed every tattoo ever designed if she could've.**

"The power of a mother is to be feared." Hera nodded and her siblings agreed with her readily on that note.

 **"And you, Jason Grace, yours is coming off as well!"**

"…Thalia, she's scaring me."

"Good."

 **"You can't!" Naruto said, covering his arm. "We earned these!"**

 **"Earned them – Naruto, you don't need a tattoo!" Kushina said. "This is a permanent mark on your body, the body I spent** ** _ten_** **months making thank you very much. I have every right to say what does and does not get inked into your arm!"**

Hermes winced. "Ouch, she played the womb card."

"That is so evil." Apollo grimaced.

"No, it isn't." All the mother's, who give birth naturally, unlike Athena, said.

"Yes, it really is." The Big Three countered, each grimacing in their own right.

 **"It's not an ink though." Jason said. Kushina swiveled her gaze on him. "It's burned with sacred tools made by Vulcan."**

"Ahh," Hephaestus looked around and winced at the looks the various mothers (and one irked immortal demigod) were giving him. "Oh come on! Our Roman aspects are cool with it! It's not like _I_ decided to make this a thing!"

 **"...Bullshit." Kushina said. "You were** ** _burned_** **?!"**

"I know." Thalia nodded. "How messed up is that?!"

"Thalia, stop agreeing with the fictional character."

"Shush, Jay-Jay. Just listen to the story."

 **"They're marks of valor!" Jason quickly continued. "The more marks you have gives you seniority and acts as an access pass into and out of New Rome!"**

 **"New Rome?" Kushina asked. She thought for a second. "The small city...And why should I care if you can get in and out of there?"**

"Speak a little faster, Jason."

"Hopefully my other does, Hazel."

 **"Because all demigods live there." Jason said.**

 **"And after ten years their families can move in, too!" Naruto said, making Kushina look at him.**

"That's nice to know." Percy mused. It actually sounded pretty cool.

 **"...So you need those** ** _things_** **to move your family in, hm?" Kushina asked after a moment of thought. Jason came to pretty much the same conclusion she did. In a few more years that meant she could legally, by Roman standards, move in to the city that was close to where her son went to camp.**

"Slick thinking, little Jay." Piper nodded.

 **That would be good for everyone. To their relief, Kushina sighed and sat down, her hand on her head. "Fine, just...No other ones, please."**

 **"Okay." Both boys said, giving each other a grin.**

"Why bother when those are way cooler." Leo noted. They were so much better than his flaming skull idea.

 **"Now, tell me you're making more friends at camp. Not that you're not charming, Jason." Kushina said, smiling lightly and making him blush lightly.**

Aphrodite smiled and clapped her hands. "Ooh, she's going to learn about Misaki~! Yay!"

 **"Oh yeah! There's Zack, Edward, Rachel, Abby, Samantha, Michelle-" Naruto said, ticking his friends off on his fingers.**

 **"My what a little player," Kushina said with a smile.**

"Oh, he's going to be if Percy was any indication." The love goddess said, getting the boy to sputter and his wise girlfriend to pout.

 **"What?" Naruto asked. Jason actually joined Naruto in looking confused, becoming even more so when Kushina laughed.**

"They're both dense." Piper giggled as Jason pouted.

He wasn't _that_ dense. That was Percy…and Naruto it seemed.

 **"Aw, you're both so adorable when you're confused." She said with a smile.**

"I know."

"Thalia!"

"Let me gush at little you, Jason!"

 **"Never mind. They're all your age?"**

 **"Well, the only friend we have our age outside of the Cohort is Misaki." Naruto said.**

 **"Misaki?" Kushina asked, smiling. "What's she like?"**

 **"She's a daughter of Venus." Jason said, shrugging. "Pretty girly, but still a Roman."**

"More like evil mastermind." Leo mumbled. He looked at Annabeth. "Never become evil, please?"

"I make no promises." Annabeth said jokingly.

"I'm serious."

 **"She's got a** ** _lot_** **of friends." Naruto said. Jason shook his head and made eye contact with Kushina, mouthing the word 'minions'. The redheaded woman gave a giggle at that.**

Piper rubbed her chin. "Huh, minions…I could go for some minions."

"They're a lot of fun to have, Piper." Aphrodite grinned.

 **"Well I'm glad to hear that you're making friends." Kushina said, smiling. "How's the education of this camp?"**

 **"I dunno." Naruto said with a shrug. He wasn't a fan of education.**

"Amen, brother," Percy said. He was glad he wasn't the only one.

 **Jason rolled his eyes. "If you'd listen to Rachel, you'd know that camp's standards are up to date with the state of California's Department of Education regulation and is equal to the best schools in the country.**

"Seriously?" Annabeth asked Percy, who nodded along with the other Romans. "Now I really want to go there."

Athena gasped in shock at her daughter's words.

Percy grinned. "Told you it was cool."

 **We even have a college in New Rome that's on par with Harvard or other Ivy League schools."**

"Oh yeah, we're going there."

"Annabeth!"

"Mom, Ivy League. Harvard!"

"Still!"

 **"Well** ** _that's_** **very good to know." Kushina said with an approving nod.**

 **"Of course the Golden Boy would know that." Naruto said with a teasing smirk.**

"Golden Boy." Nico snickered as Jason gave him a light glare.

 **"Munchkin." Jason said, making Naruto's smirk fall.**

 **"Not cool, Jason." He said.**

 **"Oh, but you're always going to be my munchkin!" Kushina said, reaching over to rake her hands through his hair.**

"Aw," Annabeth said and looked to her boyfriend. "Were you that cute when you were little?"

Percy flushed out of embarrassment. "Shut up, Wise Girl."

"Fair enough. I'll just ask your mom for pictures."

"Annabeth!" the water boy whined.

 **"Mom!" Naruto said with a groan.**

 **Jason gave a soft laugh at that.**

 **"You shouldn't be laughing,** ** _Jay-Jay_** **." Kushina said.**

"Yeah, Jay-Jay, you have a nickname too." Thalia snickered, getting the boy to glare at her.

 **"Mom!" Jason said, flushing at his slip when the two Uzumaki gave him strange looks.**

The Grace siblings' eyes widened.

"Did you just…?" Thalia mumbled.

"Um, maybe…" Jason blinked.

 **"I mean...sorry."**

 **Kushina's look turned into a soft warm smile. "You can call me Mom if you want, Jay-Jay. I always wanted a big family."**

Jason himself was stunned to say the least.

Thalia swallowed and powered through to read more.

 **"You are my pack-brother." Naruto said, grinning. "It's like we really are brothers!"**

 **"You could pull it off." Kushina said. She smiled at the son of Jupiter.**

"They do look a lot alike." Percy mumbled.

 **"So what do you say, Jason? Would you like to be an honorary Uzumaki?"**

 **Jason didn't know what to think of that. He didn't want to accidently replace his sister, Thalia, but at the same time he was being offered a mother.**

Jason understood his other, while he accepted that Thalia had found a new family in the Hunt, it still hurt him a bit.

 **He couldn't remember his own mother, and it was a strong subject of internal conflict for a few months one year until Rachel confronted him. He wanted to have what Naruto had, he was a little jealous of his friend for having the family member they came to visit. This was a genuine offer, and with a bit of both hesitation and excitement, Jason finally answered.**

 **"If you'll have me."**

"Good for him," Thalia whispered. It was good Jason had a good mother looking out for him, she'd hope her other could meet this woman in the future.

 **Kushina's smile widened. "Of course we would, Jay-Jay."**

Jason himself, he felt jealous of his other. Thalia saw Artemis as her mother, while he felt alone somewhat. He looked as Piper took his hand and squeezed, showing she was there for him and he did the same back in thanks.

 **Jason didn't dare to frown or scowl, knowing it was meant mostly with love and not teasing. He smiled brightly at the woman, his new adoptive mother. This wasn't going to be one of the decisions he regretted.**

 **"Wonderful! This calls for more ramen to celebrate!" Kushina said. Naruto threw his hands up and cheered while Jason laughed and shrugged.**

 **Well it's as they say; when in Rome.**

"That... is the most corniest and yet fitting ending line for a chapter in this story." Leo smirked as Jason shrugged.

It was true.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_ **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **IV**

* * *

"I got this." Leo said with a grin as he took the book from Thalia. "Thanks chica."

"Don't ever call me that again."

"Yikes. You got it."

 **After a month of visiting with his and Jason's new mother, Naruto was preparing to go back home to Camp Jupiter. His mom had done all she could to help the two ten-year-old Romans fit in and be comfortable in the 'mortal world' as she jokingly called it, and Naruto was so grateful that he had an awesome mom.**

"I know the feeling." Percy said proudly as some of the other demigods glared at him, lucky bastard.

 **Jason got a room on the second floor, keeping it rather Spartan as his mom called it and Naruto was moved into the room across from him.**

 **Naruto filled his walls with several posters of movies that his mother showed them one weekend, his favorite being the motion picture of the hit cartoon show Transformers: The Movie.**

"Best. Movie. _Ever_." Frank noted seriously.

"You got the touch." Apollo sang softly.

"You've got the power!" Hermes chorused and Leo was about to join in, but Artemis cut him off.

"Read the story, Leo Valdez."

Apollo glared at her. "You are an unholy sadist."

"I try."

 **He was still ten, you can't judge him. He loved all of it, even without knowing the characters – Optimus Prime was so badass and Springer was always cool and collected – fully, which would change after he found a way to watch the old show at camp. And he would find a way. He swore on the awesome adrenaline rush of a song written by Stan Bush.**

"This kid is awesome, way to go Uncle P." Apollo praised the King of the Sea.

Poseidon smirked at his brothers, who rolled their eyes.

 **New rollerblades from one night at a skate park adorned his desk, green wheels that matched his eyes hooking to the black boots. According to one of the workers there, he was a natural and whenever he could, would go out in the morning or night to get a skate in.**

"Must be the balance thing." Hazel joked, getting some laughs.

"He really knows how to stay aloft." Frank added, getting a few more snickers as Poseidon rolled his eyes.

 **On his second week he grinded a rail for the first time and promptly wiped out. His mom fretted over his sprained ankle and the gash on his calf until Jason grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and poured it over the wound, making it good as new.**

"Ah, bottle water," Poseidon said with a smirk. "A mother's best friend."

"Only to the ones you have your children with." Athena rolled her eyes, which got him to glare at her.

 **Jason griped over lucky healing powers while Naruto said the three-lettered F-word, making Jason groan and admit he couldn't do that...yet.**

"Oh, so Superboy wants to fly, huh?" Leo said with a grin. "I thought Superboy doesn't fly?"

"It isn't easy," Jason said with a mild glare.

"Neither is setting yourself on fire, but I did it easily enough."

 **Naruto chalked it up to a victory in his favor.**

Poseidon subtly pumped his fist while Zeus grumbled.

 **"Naruto! Hurry up! Jason's ready to move the throw rug!" Kushina said as she called up the stairs, making her son snicker. During one outing to the local mall, their small group of three was attacked by a large swarm of hellhounds.**

Hades whistled innocently when his brothers glared at him.

 **Naruto and Jason held their own easily, the mortal onlookers were talking about some punk gang getting their what-for, until Kushina shot one with her special clip as it tried to sneak up on her.**

"Go super-hot Mom, go!" Leo cheered before Piper slapped him for the remark. "Ow!"

"You deserved that." Piper chided him. "Now keep reading."

"Fine, geez..."

 **Then they had to deal with the mortal police, which both Naruto and Kushina found to be a pain while Jason thought they were a minor inconvenience. What remained of the hellhounds were furs that Kushina sewed together into a rug with a golden V in the middle for the cohort.**

"Now isn't that lovely," Athena said dryly.

"We could always use something like that to make the cohort feel homey." Jason mused with a shrug.

 **Naruto zipped up his new duffle bag – a gift from his mother while Jason chose a simple single-strap backpack that had a red spiral on it – and slung it over his shoulder. The green-eyed blond rushed from his room, down the stairs and into his mother, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Kushina swiftly returned the hug and kissed him on the head.**

"Have fun at boot camp, baby~!" Apollo waved jokingly with a tearful look that got some laughs and a glare from Poseidon and Percy.

 **"Are you sure you have to leave?" She asked, squeezing him lightly. "Just a few more days, right?"**

 **"Sorry Mom. I'm starting to get antsy without being able to do much training." Naruto said, getting a whine from her. "I promise we'll visit again as soon as possible."**

 **"We'll write, too." Jason said, getting an enthusiastic nod from his friend.**

"Here's the mail, it never fails, it makes me want to wag my tail-"

"Shut up, Apollo!" Hermes scowled as his siblings snickered at him.

Damn Apollo or ever making that song about his domain.

 **He had the gift-wrapped rug on its end and was leaning against it.**

 **"You'd both better. And tell me as soon as you turn fourteen. Both of you." Kushina said, kissing Naruto's cheek again. "Be safe, Munchkin."**

 **"Mom!" Naruto said with a whine.**

"My Mom would do that," Percy said softly with a smile. Poseidon nodded.

 **Kushina let him go and then wrapped Jason in a hug before kissing his cheek. "You too, Jay-Jay."**

 **"Mom!" Jason whined this time.**

"Aw." Thalia cooed at her brother, who turned red in embarrassment, which made the hunter snicker, but also feel a little jealous on the inside.

 **"And both of you find some nice girls for me to meet." Kushina said, smiling at both boys after releasing them.**

"Oh, I'm sure they do," Aphrodite said proudly while Artemis rolled her eyes and Piper smiled.

Thalia looked over at her. "Now you've got to get the third degree from me and Kushina."

The smile on Piper's face rushed away like it was wiped clean.

 **"MOM!" Both boys said with a tint of pink on their cheeks. Kushina laughed and opened the door, letting Naruto grab the rug easily carrying it under his arm. Both of them turned back around at the end of the drive, waving goodbye to the smiling and teary-eyed woman. They walked back to the bus stop and Jason looked at the rug Naruto was carrying.**

 **"Need any help?"**

 **"Nah, I've got it."**

"That he does," Poseidon said proudly.

Percy pouted. Super strength sounded like an awesome thing to have!

 **In minutes, the bus arrived and picked the two boys up. Both had smiles on their faces, happy with how the past month went. Jason was a new member of his family and Naruto had gotten to meet his mother after years of separation. They just knew that things were going to be great from there on out. Nothing could possibly go wrong.**

"Well, if that isn't going to slap them in the face, nothing will," Nico said dryly while Thalia smirked.

"So emo."

"I'm not emo!"

 **The world was falling apart, Naruto just knew it.**

"See? I was right." Nico said smugly to Thalia, who rolled her eyes at him.

 **As he sat in his seat going over his strategic warfare booklet given to him by Rachel, the now twelve-year-old son of Neptune groaned.**

"Wait, if he's twelve…" Percy trailed off as the other demigods came to the same conclusion.

The respective kings of the sky and sea narrowed their eyes at one another for a brief moment.

"Oh, this should be fun." Hades chuckled in amusement.

 **The sky had been dark ever since the winter solstice**

"Because someone lost his toy."

"Silence, Poseidon!"

 **and the ocean had been angry lately, a few legionnaires who went on leave told him as such when they reported their failure to enjoy the beach.**

"Uncle P!" Apollo gasped out. "How could you?"

The sea god rolled his eyes. "Blame Zeus."

"How am I to blame!?"

 **Not that there was a lot of chances with how often it stormed.**

"Well, I believe that answers your question. It wasn't all my fault," the sea god said in amusement when Zeus flared his nostrils angrily.

 **Something bad has happened and quite frankly, Naruto was not pleased about being outside of the know.**

"I know." Annabeth pouted, she had bugged Chiron about that for months.

 **"Naruto, please be quiet." Jason said, sounding a bit frustrated himself. He was also filling out a similar packet, though it was a year more advanced than Naruto's own.**

Zeus seemed to puff up at that while Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"Seems your Roman son follows in his brother's footsteps." Athena stated smugly.

Percy brooded at the shot to his lack of scholastic skill and Annabeth rubbed his shoulder consolingly.

 **"But this is so boring." Naruto said, groaning as he rubbed his head. "And I've got a killer headache."**

 **"You're not the only one." Jason said, putting his pencil down. He rubbed his temples. "I've been having some weird dreams lately."**

"Here, here!" Percy said, seems they got them too.

"You know." Jason frowned. "I was getting some like that around that time, too."

"Really?" Thalia asked him and he nodded.

"Yep."

 **"Two giant gladiators fighting?" Naruto asked. He shuddered as he remembered that dream. The two gladiators fought so ferociously, Naruto was actually afraid he was too close to the action. One had a spear in hand while the other had a trident, both stabbing and bashing each other, often matching strength and coming to deadlocks that shook the ground.**

"They were wrestling in togas in mine."

"That's rather suggestive, Percy." Hermes teased as Percy turned green, as did his uncle and father.

"Hermes!" Zeus bellowed at the snickering thief god. As were, except for Poseidon, his children and siblings.

 **"Actually an eagle attacking a horse, but close enough." Jason said.**

"Another one of mine." Percy said as Jason rolled his eyes.

 **"Do you get the strange feeling that maybe something is going on?"**

 **"Jay, I've been telling you for weeks that something ain't right." Naruto said. "And Zack agrees with me."**

"If lucky boy says so." Leo said with a nod.

 **"Zack's too superstitious." Jason said.**

 **"Superstition has saved many a life, Jason." Abigail said as she entered the cohort to check on the two up-and-coming powerhouses of the Legion.**

"She knows they mean business." Hazel giggled. She liked Abby, the augur was very sweet.

 **"Hi Abby!" Naruto said with a bright grin. He felt his cheeks heat up a bit at seeing his crush smile at his enthusiastic greeting. The older girl was a knockout, standing at a solid five foot eight with her signature braid hanging over her shoulder. The green-eyed blond just couldn't help having a crush on her. In Naruto's opinion, she was gorgeous.**

Apollo frowned at the screen while Artemis smirked at him.

"Not so easy when it's on the other foot, is it brother?"

"Shut up, Arte."

"Well, if he is anything like his brother…"

"I said shut it!" Apollo frowned with crossed arms, looking like a child.

 **Of course, Naruto didn't see Jason roll his eyes when the son of Neptune spoke. It was always like this and Naruto was just too oblivious to realize that he made his crush very obvious unintentionally. Poor guy.**

"Like Annabeth around Luke." Percy teased Annabeth, who turned pink.

"Percy!" she whined and slapped his arm. Oh, he just loved to joke about that one at times. The jerk.

Percy chuckled a bit as he rubbed his abused arm, so worth it.

 **"Hello Naruto." Abigail said, still smiling. "Jason. I was coming to check on you two anyway. Edward has been voicing concerns about you both talking in your sleep."**

 **"I talk in my sleep?" Naruto asked. "I mean, Jason drools sometimes..."**

 **"Naruto. You're the one that drools."**

"Hereditary? You'll have to get ahold of that," Piper teased Percy, who turned a bit pink to match his girlfriend.

"Yeah, drooling in your girlfriend's hair isn't attractive, Percy," Leo said with a snicker.

"Shut up and read, Leo."

 **"Shut up, Jay."**

 **"Boys," Abigail said, amused, in an attempt to get their attention back on her. "What have you been dreaming about?"**

 **The two blonds shared a look before looking back at their Augur with a bit of concern in their eyes. Jason went first, talking about his dreams for the past few days and then Naruto gave his own, speaking of two gladiators going all out in an arena while he helplessly watched from the sidelines.**

 **After hearing both of their concern, Abigail's eyes went wide before returning to normal. Jason caught it and asked what was wrong, only for Abigail to wave him off.**

 **"Continue with your studies." Abigail said, giving them a smaller than usual smile. "I must go speak with our praetors."**

"She must sense a disturbance in the force."

"Ha-ha, Herm." Apollo rolled his eyes.

 **She left swiftly without explanation, getting confused looks from the boys before they went back to their work, the son of Neptune complaining of headaches and the son of Jupiter telling him to stop complaining before he got a headache himself. They were starting to grate on each other's nerves, but the situation was diffused when the rest of their cohort returned. Before the centurions could deliver any orders, the ground shook tremendously, sending many of the cohort to their feet.**

"That might have been my doing," Hades said, looking at Percy, who gave a sheepish smile.

 **As soon as it passed, all eyes went to Naruto, who looked back at them with wide eyes.**

Poseidon frowned at that along with Percy and Frank, knowing full well what happened to Frank's ancestor when something like this had happened.

 **"Wasn't me!" he said quickly.**

Hades scoffed, of course it wasn't. Like the boy could pull off something like that at twelve, ha!

 **Edward scrutinized him for a moment, as if evaluating his words, before giving him a light smile.**

 **"I know, Naruto." Edward said. Whispers swiftly followed that and Naruto clenched his fists at what he heard.**

"Oh no," Percy frowned.

 **"As expected of the Earthshaker's offspring."**

 **"Wonder how many he killed in Sacramento."**

 **"Just like that other guy."**

"Other guy," Frank tensed at that with clenched hands, but Hazel just rested a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

 **"Quiet!" Edward said, stepping over to stand beside Naruto. His false arm held the blond's shoulder reassuringly. "Naruto would've had to have good reason to cause an earthquake, and so far he hasn't. Maybe there's another reason-!"**

 **The door was flung open and two older Roman Legionnaires entered, fully decked out in armor and wielding spears and shields. The lead legionnaire stepped forward before he spoke.**

 **"The son of Neptune has been called before the senate to explain himself!" The legionnaire said. "He will come with us. Now."**

"…Okay," Poseidon said sternly, a frown on his face as he looked at the Romans minus Frank. "I'm with Athena on this one, your people suck."

Athena nodded this, willing to actually agree with her rival over the matter.

"Amazing," Hades drawled. "Like the chariot all over again."

"...Oh wonderful, now we're going to have millennia of them arguing over who gets the glory," Hera said dryly.

 **"...Of course. Go Naruto. We're right behind you." Edward said, turning the now paler Naruto around toward the guard and giving him a gentle shove. Naruto looked to Jason for some help, not getting a look as he continued to stand at attention.**

"Wow, Jason." Percy frowned at the Roman, who blanched.

"What? There wasn't anything I could do, I was just a legionnaire." He deflected as Thalia looked at him.

"You could have gave some encouragement to him, like telling him that it would be okay." The hunter said, making her brother frown at being scolded for his other's actions.

 **Shortly later, Naruto stood in front of the senate with his fists clenched and sweat trailing down the side of his face. Sixty men and women of New Rome sat in rising seats, all looking down at him with stony faces while the Lars of previous generations hovered nearby, ranging in appearance from the original Rome to the late eighteen hundreds. The Cohorts and Praetors were also in attendance, looking at him from the sides of the rest of the room.**

"He's being put to court?!" Percy gaped. Okay, he did not have it this bad when he was in New Rome. This was just over the top now.

 **"Naruto Uzumaki, son of Neptune and Legionnaire of the Fifth Cohort. You are accused of causing an earthquake already reported to have caused three buildings to collapse, fourteen deaths and wounding dozens of mortals in the city of San Francisco alone.**

"Oops," Hades said in a bored tone as Poseidon glared at him intensely.

 **If found guilty of these crimes, you will be stripped of rank, discharged and evicted from the walls of Camp Jupiter. How do you plead?"**

 **"Not guilty!" Naruto said instantly. "I didn't do it, I swear!"**

"I don't know, something smells fishy," Ares said intently while he rubbed his chin.

"Ares, shut up." Poseidon glared at his snickering nephew.

 **"Liar!"**

 **"He's a son of Neptune!"**

 **"They're nothing but trouble!"**

"Oh, they want a quake, huh?" Poseidon simmered, his fist clenched tightly.

"Do it, Poseidon." Athena goaded her rival gleefully. "Give them a big one."

"Enough," Hestia said sternly, getting her younger brother to pout at her, which did little good. "Let us just see what happens."

 **"Silence!" Tim ordered, his voice carrying throughout the room and silencing the voices of other younger legionnaires. He nodded to the head of the senate to continue.**

 **"Would anyone like to testify on the behalf or against the accused?" the head of the senate asked.**

"Who's going to step up?" Leo wondered.

 **"I'll testify, senator!" A member of the First Cohort said as he slipped through the crowd. Naruto looked at the newcomer and was met with a steely glare from the legacy of Apollo.**

"Of course he would," Percy spat out.

"He's just going to try and milk this for himself." Hazel simmered as Apollo sighed.

Why'd he have to be related to this kid again?

 **Octavian stood taller than the blond, giving a good impression of an honorable man as he cradled a...torn stuffed whale?**

"Oh, isn't that poetic?" Hades snickered and Poseidon glared at him.

 **"I'm the next Augur to be, Octavian, legacy of Apollo. I have seen in my visions the accused standing before you! He caused the damage done to the mortal city! He, the son of the Earthshaker, has done his father's bidding to punish us for putting him in the Fifth Cohort!"**

"What?!" Poseidon gaped. His eyes narrowed and turned to the legacy's ancestor. "Apollo…"

"Hey! That's like blaming Herm for Luke, er, no offense bro." Apollo said sincerely.

"A lot taken." Hermes said dryly. He pointed at the truth god. "You got buttered up by yours. I got cursed and spat at."

"Dude!"

 **"I love the Fifth!" Naruto protested despite the whispers.**

"This is going to be terrible." Jason groaned into his hand. He felt sorry for Naruto.

"This is why Camp Half-Blood rocks. There's no politics to worry about," Percy said, getting nods all around from those who go to the camp and the gods.

 **"You say you do, but you yearn to be in the First! To be among elites!" Octavian said. He silently smirk as the dissent among the senate and cohorts continued.**

"I really, _really_ want to stab him right now," Percy said in a completely honest voice.

"Hey, at least he had a memorable farewell," Frank said.

"That's true. A shooting shmuck."

"Should've made a wish." Annabeth snickered.

 **"Like you?" another speaker asked. Misaki slipped out from the Second Cohort's crowd and stepped forward.**

"Yay!" Aphrodite cheered with a smile and light applause. "Save your love interest, sweetie!"

 **"I speak in defense of the accused. You, honored senators and Praetors, would take the word of this legacy? A boy not even yet claimed Augur and speaking of seeing the future through the methods of a haruspex?"**

"Oh, burn!" Apollo winced, that was a good one.

 **Octavian's teeth grit at that and the senate suddenly turned from whispering about Naruto to him. This wasn't what he had hoped for. He had hoped to accomplish two things here, and so far neither was happening.**

"Slime ball." Annabeth spat out.

 **He glared at his accuser and spoke.**

 **"You, a member of the Second, would defend a lowlife such as -?" Misaki, who turned on him and glared so hard he felt a shiver form, cut him off.**

"Got that from Dite," Ares muttered, he had only seen that when he knocked up a daughter of his girlfriend's once. He got blue balled for a decade after that.

 **"Naruto Uzumaki is a member of the legion, and while not prestigious, is still far more powerful than you would ever hope to be,** ** _Octavian_** **!" She said loudly, reminding the senate why Naruto was in the legion to begin with and slandering Octavian at the same time.**

"Whoo, go sis!" Piper cheered. "That was awesome!"

 **She opened her mouth to speak again when an Ancient Roman Lar flew down, standing before the senate.**

 **"I bring news!" he said, speaking in a serious voice. "The Lars have spoken to servants of Pluto and have learned it was** ** _he_** **who caused the earthquake. He was angered by something happening in the East.**

"I wonder why," Hades said with a glace to Percy, who groaned.

"Oh come on!"

 **So if we are to blame anything at all, it is he, the Lord of us dead!"**

"Oh yes, blame it all on Hades, it's always Hades' fault!"

"Hades, you're griping again." Hestia informed him kindly, making her brother grumble.

 **"Thank you, Cato." Rachel said, looking visibly relieved for Naruto. She stood. "The Lars have spoken, and one has spoken in defense of the accused. I move for this mockery of a trial to be abolished and for the accused to be let go. All in favor?"**

"I!" All the demigods declared, each with a hand raised in the air.

 **The room echoed positively while Naruto grit his teeth. He gets accused of causing a lot of deaths, threatened with expulsion from the camp, betrayed by people he thought of as friends and at the word of one dead guy it's all waved off? Was that what justice was?**

"He has a point," Poseidon said to Zeus, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes," the god of justice frowned, that was bullshit and even he knew that.

 **"Then this meeting is dismissed. The Cohorts will return to the barracks post-haste." Tim said.**

 **"Wait! Don't I get an apology or something?" Naruto asked, getting looked at like he was crazy.**

"Oh, man..." Jason sighed out. He rubbed his face again. "Yeah, they would do that."

 **"Whatever for?" a senator asked from a few seats up. "The charges were dropped. You are free to go."**

 **"You still accused me!" Naruto said, his nails digging into his palm. "Doesn't that count for something!?"**

"It should." Frank frowned for his long distant relative.

 **He was met with silence as they left, leaving the boy to simmer in his anger.**

"I really don't like them," Poseidon admitted. "I mean, I didn't like them much before since they always hate on me like the Greeks do Hades, no offense Brother."

"A _lot_ taken." Hades deadpanned.

"But now? Wow, just wow." The sea god gained a deep frown.

 **"Naruto, just let it go..." Jason said, stepping forward to grab his shoulder. He looked shocked when Naruto jerked out of his grasp and glared at him.**

"Well, he is rightfully pissed at you," Thalia said to her brother, who frowned.

 **"Don't touch me." Naruto said as he stormed past his cohort back towards Camp Jupiter, leaving a stunned Jason standing there before Edward called for him to hurry up.**

"I sense a tiff is about to happen," Hades said. He smiled innocently when his brothers glared at him.

 **After the cohorts filed out, Misaki quickly sought out Octavian, stopping him before he rejoined his cohort with a glare.**

 **"You tread carefully,** ** _haruspex_** **." She hissed at him. The daughter of Venus looked infuriated.**

"Love-Love power, baby, you show that snake!" Aphrodite cheered with a pump of her fist while Apollo looked greatly offended at the S word.

 **"If you try to ruin Naruto ever again, the disgrace you will feel will cause you to flee from camp in shame. Or you'll die. I haven't decided yet."**

"Wow." Leo whistled.

"Piper's never said anything like that before." Jason gaped along with some of the other demigods at the words.

"Seems this one has potential as well." Artemis begrudgingly admitted as Athena nodded in agreement.

"That was a good threat, very worthy of Aphrodite," she said.

"Thank you!" Aphrodite beamed at the goddess of wisdom for her kind words.

 **"I would like to see you try." He said with a sneer.**

 **"I promise you, there will be stories of it for eons to come." Misaki said lowly before turning with a huff. She looked back at him with a smirk. "By the way, might want to wipe that brown stuff off your nose. It kind of smells."**

"And the sweet burn before leaving," Hermes applauded with a grin. "That was good."

 **Octavian glared at her as she left, rejoining with a few other girls of her cohort. He turned to leave when he was met with his soon-to-be predecessor, who looked at him with a scowl.**

"Octy's everyone's bitch today."

"Leo Valdez!"

"Sorry, Lady Hestia."

 **"We need to have a conversation about your lying, Octavian." Abigail said. She launched into a scolding about how their ancestor would be ashamed of him and how if he ever did it again he would lose his chance to be the augur and probably go on suspension.**

"I really am." Apollo sighed out.

 **Octavian paid her half-mind, already plotting about his next plan to jump up the ladder of his success.**

 **"Naruto, what's wrong with you?" Jason asked once he caught up to his friend.**

"Oh," Poseidon looked at Jason. " _He's_ the one with the problem?"

"Uh…"

 **"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with** ** _me_** **!? My best friend just left me hanging while I got accused of causing an earthquake that killed people!" Naruto said.**

"You did." Thalia told him as Jason grumbled.

 **"What? I didn't agree with them!"**

 **"You didn't exactly stand up for me either, Jason!" Naruto said, giving his friend a betrayed look. "I thought that my brother would've been the first to jump to my defense."**

"I would, Naruto."

"Oh shut up, Percy." Jason frowned.

 **"Naruto, I'm just a legionnaire like you, my word wouldn't have any say!" Jason said.**

"Exactly!"

 **"Your word...Jason you're the** ** _son_** **of Jupiter!" Naruto said with a scowl. "You're the legion's Golden Boy. Your word probably could've turned some of the senate onto my side.**

"He is right," Hazel said to Jason. The Golden Boy ducked his head down a bit once that was pointed out to him.

 **Instead, I got Octy the slime bucket using Neptune against me and Misaki barely managed to stall for enough time for me to slip through the justice's cracks."**

"You want some plaster, brother?"

"Silence, Poseidon!"

 **"Naruto-"**

 **"Save it, Jason. You could've stepped forward, but you didn't. You chose to play the Golden Boy by keeping your mouth shut instead of stepping up to help your brother." Sea green eyes met electric blues with a glare. "And** ** _that_** **says a lot."**

"It really does."

"Leo!"

 **He turned and walked away, leaving Jason stunned with slumped shoulders while an uncomfortable feeling of guilt weighed down over him.**

"It tends to do that, Jason."

The boy glared at his sister. "Okay, we get it."

The hunter smirked. "Just making sure it sunk in."

 **A week had passed since the trial and Naruto had kept his distance from those who were 'against' him. He put all of his anger into the training that he was going through, training himself into the dirt each night for the upcoming gladiator fight. Tim was competing and the victor of the match would lead a quest to recover a Roman relic lost on a previous venture.**

"You guys sure lose a lot of things," Percy noted. "Seriously, you have more quests to recover then to actually go after something else."

"Ha-ha, Percy." Hazel rolled her eyes.

"But he is right," Nico nodded, getting a pout from his Roman half-sister.

 **Leading a quest and returning successfully would clear any doubt the rest of his peers had, so Naruto thought, and winning the gladiator fight would be exactly the proof of his worthiness to be in the Legion.**

"It probably would, but that is a very naïve outlook on things." Athena noted, getting a glower from her rival.

 **Jason had tried to talk to him several times, but each time Naruto gave him the cold shoulder. He didn't want to talk to Jason. Naruto still felt hurt that his friend, his** ** _brother_** **, hadn't done anything to help him. He refused to talk about it, and each time Jason walked over to him in an effort to talk it out, Naruto would go back to that scene in the barracks where Jason just stood by and watched as he was marched out like a convict.**

"That's rather depressing." Hestia frowned.

 **So he distanced himself from his brother, finding a comforting presence in Abigail's sessions to help him with the dreams about the black haired boy that held a bolt of lightning.**

"I wonder who that is?" Annabeth asked slyly to her beau, getting a smile back.

"It would be cool if I had a dream about Naruto, too…okay, that come out so weird." Percy grimaced.

"Yet, juicy," Aphrodite said with a smirk. "Percuto? Narcy?"

"...Pass..." Percy mumbled with green cheeks.

 **Abigail would say that it was a metaphor for his relationship with Jason, the black hair being Naruto's own anger and the lightning representing the son of Jupiter, but Naruto didn't feel like that was the case. There was something off about that dream, and the boy looked too different. Sure, they both had green eyes, but the boy looked...scrawnier.**

The gods broke into laughter as the demigods snickered while Percy looked pink in the face at that. Great, even his own brother thought he was some kind of wimp…well, once they met that would certainly change.

 **Now, Naruto wasn't a bulked up piece of beef like Tim or any other son of Mars, but he was a bit broader in the shoulders than most twelve year olds would be. This kid just looked like a regular mortal, but again, something told him that wasn't the case.**

 **As it was, Naruto was just leaving his session with Abigail, talking about the upcoming gladiator fight and how he was going to kick Tim's ass, when he had to once more decline Misaki's invitation to play 'hooky'.**

"Boo!" Aphrodite pouted and crossed her arms. "All work and no play makes Naruto a dull boy."

"Give him a few years." Annabeth smirked and Percy turned pink while he pouted at her.

 **Normally, Naruto wouldn't mind a bit of relaxation now and then, but right now he needed to be busy. He** ** _had_** **to win. And not even Misaki's pout would stop him from getting this chance.**

"Well, Jason hasn't resisted so far."

"Piper!"

 **"Sorry, Misaki." Naruto said with an apologetic smile as he walked towards the training grounds. "Maybe after the gladiator fight!"**

 **"That's two days from now!" Misaki pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Poo."**

"Poo indeed, sweetie."

 **Misaki kicked the dirt and glared at the Augur's door before storming off to find the one person she could vent at without repercussions. She found her vent wallowing in his grub at the mess hall, getting a comforting pat on the shoulder from the older son of Fortuna. Smirking, she made her way over and caught on to the end of the conversation.**

 **"I just don't know what to do...I mean, you had a legit excuse with that broken leg. You were stuck in the infirmary for two days and that just happened to be the second one."**

 **"Don't remind me." Zack said with a groan as he rubbed his leg. "Look, Jason. I'm not going to tell you what you did was right or wrong, because frankly, it kind of was both. I am going to tell you to just let him be and give him some space. You guys were practically together all the time til then, this is good for you. Branch out a bit and connect with others."**

"Just like separating the three of you." Hestia told her brothers who pouted at her for it while grumbling.

 **"And leave Naruto behind?" Jason asked.**

 **"He's not saying that, Jay-Jay. And shame on you for thinking it!"**

"Yeah, Jay-Jay." The elf boy snickered.

"Leo, I swear."

 **Jason groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "Please tell me that's not who I think it is."**

 **Zack chuckled. "She's not that bad. Take a seat, Misaki."**

 **"Thank you, Zachary." Misaki said with a smile as she sat down across from Jason. She pouted at him. "You, Mister Grace, have got to get a hold of that rudeness."**

Thalia sighed, "Where did I go wrong?"

"It isn't your fault, Thalia," Artemis smirked while looking at Apollo, "Brothers are like that."

Both blond brothers pouted at their respective sisters.

 **"I'm going to go grey before I hit twenty." Jason said under his breath while he rubbed his temples with one hand. He straightened up and gave her a lighthearted glare. "I happen to be very polite, Misaki. It's just that, somehow, your grand and splendid personality brings out my 'ugly' side. Now, why is that, I wonder?"**

"Roundabout way to say she annoys him." Nico snickered.

"Well, it is Jason's fault for having that ugly side, humph." The love goddess huffed as her daughter rolled her eyes.

 **"You're far too stiff, Jay-Jay." Misaki said, waving him off. "You'll never get a girlfriend at this rate. Maybe we should just have you get laid so you can relax."**

Everyone laughed at that, minus Hera, Jason, and Piper. Some even wheezing for air.

 **Jason flushed bright red while Zack burst into laughter. The son of Jupiter grumbled through his embarrassment, his hands falling under the table and making gestures of strangulation.**

"Do it," Piper said, face red with anger and embarrassment for her beau, so not cool sis!

 **Calming down just around the time Zack got himself under control, Jason glared wholeheartedly at Misaki this time. "What did you want, Misaki?"**

 **"So rude, Jay-Jay." Misaki said with a tittering laugh. She settled down and her smile fell into a pout. "Naruto is still brushing me off."**

"My poor baby!"

"Mom, enough."

 **"Big shock." Zack said, still amused. "Kid's going all out for this month's gladiator fight. He really wants to win."**

 **"I couldn't care about his training. He needs it." Misaki said with her pout still in place. "I want to know why he's with Abigail all the time."**

"Ah, the rival crush." Aphrodite smiled gleefully.

 **"Aside from sating his desire to see his crush?" Jason asked smugly, getting a heated glare from the daughter of Venus.**

"Jason," Leo said seriously. "You should not play with that kind of fire, heck, even I wouldn't…and I'm fire proof."

Jason shrugged, it was what she got for teasing him all the time.

 **The blonde huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder.**

 **"What does she have anyway? She's not all that pretty." Misaki said, while Zack snickered and Jason smirked.**

"Hey," Apollo frowned, but the lady of doves waved him off.

"Oh, she's just upset. No major offense."

"But still!"

 **"Well, Abigail was one of the first to stand up for Naruto. And she's smart. She's also one of the most beautiful girls in the legion. Then there's the fact that she's the Augur and a centurion of the Third Cohort. She's been helping him sort through this whole accused thing better than we could've if he'd let us, and Abigail is without a doubt the nicest girl in ca-." Misaki slamming her hands down on the table cut Jason off mid count.**

"…That was pretty detailed." Piper said with pursed lips, glancing at Jason, who started to sweat.

"I was just trying to annoy her?"

"Smart answer."

 **"Shut up, Jay-Jay!" she said, pouting. Misaki crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell me all of my good qualities."**

"Yes, do so." The love goddess said as Artemis looked amused.

"Oh, this should be good."

 **"You?" Jason asked. He snorted and replied dryly. "You don't have any good qualities, Shokuhou."**

Aphrodite gaped along with the demigoddesses, who glared at a now wilting Jason.

"I was right, it was good."

"Silence Artemis, and you, Jason Grace!" the love goddess glared at her daughter's beau. "Be lucky this is another dimension. Honestly, the tact you lack."

 **Misaki gasped in horror while Zack wrapped his arms around his gut and laughed. Misaki's horrified face turned into a fuming one, her cheeks puffing up indignantly before she waved her hand at Jason.**

"You reap what you sow, Jason Grace." Aphrodite said haughtily.

"Oh man," Piper palmed her face.

 **Immediately, Jason's clothes shrunk by two sizes, making the twelve year old gasp sharply and fall out of his seat as everything was constricted. Another wave had magic makeup that made him look like a clown cover his face.**

Everyone laughed at that one as Jason hid his face in shame, groaning.

"It'll be okay, Jason." Hazel told him through her snickers.

 **Misaki stood, walked over to the downed son of Jupiter and kicked him in the shin before storming off.**

"Okay, that's just adding insult to injury!" Jason complained.

"I liked it." Ares smiled.

 **It took Zack ten minutes to calm down before he helped Jason back to his feet. Even then, he was still laughing a little.**

 **"Wow, Jay. If you keep acting like that, you're never going to get a girlfriend." Zack said as Jason tugged at his shirt collar.**

 **"I was being honest, though." Jason said with a grunt.**

"Sometimes, honesty isn't the best policy."

"Uh," Apollo frowned at Hermes, "I beg to differ."

"Says you."

 **"I can't believe she did this to me."**

 **"I can. And It. Is. Hilarious."**

"It really is."

"Shut up, Leo."

 **"Shut up, Zack. I need to go change." Jason said, walking carefully so as not to tear anything. Zack's laughter followed him out. He just hoped that she didn't hex his other clothes; he needed those for the gladiator fights.**

"Like your pants splitting open when you sidestep?"

"Why are you so mean?" Jason pouted at his sister, who shrugged.

"I missed a lot of years to pick on you, fair is fair."

 **It was the semi-finals of the gladiator matches and Naruto had been lucky enough to fight the champion and Praetor. They had been fighting for nearly three hours total.**

"Ooh," Dionysus said, perking up as he leaned in a bit more to pay attention.

 **Naruto's shirt was ripped to shreds, his jeans were caked in blood and tears, and he was sure that if it weren't for Neptune's gift of healing with contact of the sea god's domain, he would've died from blood loss by now.**

"Thank you for the healing powers, Dad."

"No problem, Percy."

 **Naruto panted heavily as he stared down Tim, both on their last legs. The son of Mars had bruises all over his body and was down at least three teeth. Naruto, meanwhile, had lacerations all over his upper arms, shoulders and sides from Tim's blade.**

"Now this," Ares pointed at the screen with a grin. "Is a _fight_."

 **His forearms were protected by the gift from Neptune he received all those years ago.**

 **Two golden gauntlets adorned his arms, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight as they replaced the bracers he had around his wrists. They had half a trident on both arms and an N engraved on the back of the hand. The knuckles of the gauntlets were slightly extended like a mortal's brass knuckles would've been and leather protected from the middle of his fingers to the palm of his hands. The gold extended all the way to the edge of where Naruto's forearm ended and his elbow began, allowing him full use of the appendage unlike some gladiator armor.**

"That's awesome," Percy gaped while Poseidon admired the work of the gauntlets.

 **"You do not yield before me, but you will always lose, Naruto." Tim said, wiping his arm over his bloody mouth. "Without any bodies of water nearby, you are at my mercy."**

"What a cliché villain line," Apollo snickered. "Typical Ares."

"Hey, I'm not cliché!" Ares protested.

Athena snorted in disagreement.

 **"I don't know the meaning of the word." Naruto said in return between his panting. Tim was right though. Naruto wouldn't outlast him without some water to help. So, Naruto would have to do something he wasn't entirely sure would work.**

"So that isn't just a Percy thing," Thalia said, glancing at her uncle, who was smiling sheepishly.

 **"Good!" Tim said with a laugh. He gripped his sword with both hands and charged forward. "Then have the honor of falling at my blade once again!"**

"Skewer him, Tim!" Ares gave an ugly cheer as Frank rooted for his brother too.

 **Naruto lifted his foot up and slammed it down into the dirt, a fissure shooting out from the impact towards Tim. The blond ran forward, careful to not fall into the fissure that had formed, and watched as the fissure split in two around Tim's foot, causing that portion of the ground to collapse, making the Praetor fall.**

Poseidon let out a cheer along with Percy.

"It seems he has good control of his earth powers," the god noted with a glance to Percy, who shrugged.

"I like water powers better." He admitted, to which his father nodded in understanding.

 **Naruto leapt at the surprised Praetor, his right hand brought back before he threw it forward at Tim's face. The son of Mars succumbed to a superman punch that shook the arena on impact, being sent flying back into the wall and going through it.**

"Superman for the win!" Apollo cheered.

"He'll feel that in the morning." Hermes stated as many nodded as Ares scowled.

 **Naruto landed on his side with a grunt and after taking a few breaths, slowly got to his feet, watching the hole where he put Tim. He waited patiently for a few minutes before Rachel jumped down and looked into the hole. She turned around and raised her hand up with her thumb pointing down, making Naruto's jaw drop.**

 **"** ** _I...I don't believe it. ...The winner of this semi-final is the son of Neptune._** **" The legacy of Mercury who had chosen to be the gladiator announcer said, astonished. "** ** _Victory by knock-out._** **"**

"Oh, he'll be a knock-out one day." Aphrodite said with a titter of giggles.

 **The audience cheered for the victor and Naruto promptly fell to his back, exhausted. Rachel let the medics attend to her fellow Praetor and went to Naruto's side, pulling out a small bottle of water and pouring a bit on his head.**

"There's that Full Restore." Piper chirped.

 **Rejuvenation filled Naruto and he got back to his feet, gratefully taking the bottle from Rachel and being led to the resting side of the arena. She gave him a pat on the shoulder and then walked to Tim's side, following the groggy Praetor to his seat in the stands.**

"Think he has enough brain cells to judge after that loss?" Athena asked in amusement as Ares snarled at her for the reminder that his uncle's kid beat a child of his.

 **"Nice job." A voice said behind him. Naruto turned and looked at his friend who stood behind him. Unlike the son of Neptune, Jason hadn't been so lucky to have a quick pick me up from something as simple as water, so he used the other gift he had to his advantage – flight.**

"Finally," Jason silently cheered.

 **Apparently it was something he figured out while Naruto was doing his own training, and frankly, Naruto was stumped as to how he would beat his friend if the Golden Boy kept himself in the air.**

"He won't." Zeus said with a smirk as Poseidon snorted.

"We'll see." The sea god retorted.

 **"Thanks." Naruto said crisply. He was still irked at his friend, but most of his anger had been dealt out to his opponents. None more so than Tim, who had this uncanny ability to bring the worst out of the legionnaires and centurions he faced.**

"Got that from his father." Athena stated.

Frank looked at his girlfriend, "Do I do that?"

"No." she assured him.

 **Naruto was sure he would've snapped and just collapsed the arena if he didn't knock the Praetor out with that last punch.**

"There's his father's temper." Hades smirked as Poseidon fumed silently at that. Oh, just because he destroyed some stuff back in the day, honestly!

 **"I beat Derrick." Jason said, gesturing over to the twitching member of the second Cohort, a legacy of Vulcan. "You and I are going to fight next."**

"Ooh," Hermes whistled, "Place your bets people!" she cackled, man, this was going to be a huge matchup.

Hera of course bet on her champion as did Zeus, but the rest of the elder gods bet on Naruto. The other Olympians bet on Jason, except Athena who didn't select either, while most of the demigods, besides Percy and Frank, bet on Jason, too.

 **"Well, I just hope I don't beat you up too much." Naruto said, despite liking the sound of that. Jason needed a good smack to the head now and again and Naruto was the only one who would (or could) oblige.**

Percy raised his hand. "I can, too."

"Dude," Jason frowned while Thalia was nodding.

"I like this Naruto's thinking."

"Thalia!" the brother said with a betrayed look.

 **"That sounds pretty confident." Jason said with a frown. He had hoped to have a civil and honorable fight with his pack brother, but it seems Naruto's got his eye on the goal.**

"Eyes on the prize, m'boy." Poseidon said with a smirk.

 **"I'm going to win this." Naruto said boldly, standing an inch shorter than his friend.**

 **"Really?" Jason asked, rising to the challenge.**

 **"Yep."**

 **"You'd better give it your all, Nar. Because I'm not losing so easily."**

 **"Count on it, Jay."**

"Boo," Ares jeered, "No trash talk? Boring!"

 **They held their gaze before the announcer called for them, both entering the arena together. Jason had Julius in his grasp, ready to be flipped, while Naruto flexed his own gauntlet-covered hands in anticipation. They got to the center of the arena and then took paces away from each other, neither breaking the eye contact they made. A soft wind blew through, both boys eyeing the other.**

 **"BEGIN!" Rachel said, and Jason flipped his coin into the air. It came down and landed with the tails up, a lance appearing in his hand where the coin once was. Jason held the spear defensively and sidestepped with Naruto as the son of Neptune clenched his hands so hard that his knuckles cracked.**

"Damn, need some music for this." Apollo pursed his lips, trying to think up the best theme for the fight.

 **"Don't hold back." Naruto said.**

 **"I don't plan to." Jason said in return.**

 **Naruto grinned and then quickly raised his hands to catch the spearhead that was thrusted at him.**

"That some ninja stuff right there." Leo snickered.

 **Jason quickly tugged it back and turned to his other side, swinging the end of his lance at his friend with an added boost of wind. Naruto stumbled backwards, the force of the wind being too much for him. He lowered his arms and took a kick to the gut, stumbling back and quickly blocking the spear brought down on his arm. He countered with a 'light' palm thrust to Jason's chest. The son of Jupiter slid back, doubled over and breathing hard.**

"Yeah, real _light_ ," Jason grumbled as Percy cheered Naruto on.

 **Naruto capitalized on his friend's hesitation, assaulting Jason with punches aimed at his head. One good hit would've ended the whole thing and both of them knew it. Jason used his spear to deflect the blows, falling back on the defensive to think up a plan. Naruto was playing for the win, as he suspected before, and so Jason would have to play just as hard.**

 **A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and impacted next to Naruto, making him shoot to the side in the dirt.**

"Of course he would start throwing lightning." Percy frowned as Thalia snickered at that, making him glare at her while she took on an innocent face.

 **Naruto quickly got to his feet, resuming his assault and keeping Jason on the defensive. Jason blocked a right hook and released his spear with his right hand to throw some wind at Naruto's face. Naruto could handle this gust, but his eyes filled with tears from the added dust.**

"Cheap shot!" Frank called out as Jason shrugged.

"Not my fault if the wind kicks something up." The blond said with a smirk.

 **Jason swung the dull edge of his spear at Naruto's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. Using this attack to his advantage, the son of Jupiter took to his father's domain, hovering above Naruto as the sky darkened behind him, blotting out the sun.**

"Hey!" Apollo pouted, he wanted to see the match!

 **Wind picked up around him and Jason used his spear to direct it at his friend. Naruto barely managed to roll out of the way in time, and, thinking quickly, scooped some of the dirt up and chucked it at his friend.**

"So is that a cheap shot, Frank?"

"No, that's just mudslinging." The Canadian refuted with a chuckle.

"Funny." Jason drawled.

 **Jason batted the projectile of dirt away with ease, sending another bolt of lightning down and when Naruto dodged, assaulted him with a blast of wind that had the son of Neptune tumbling away. Jason flew after him with a bolt charging up at the tip of his spear. Naruto was now on the run, spectators jeering the fighters on and some outright calling for the son of Neptune's charred corpse.**

"The hell?!" Poseidon cried out, pointing his hand at the screen. "Seriously, what is wrong with them?"

"I keep telling you, Poseidon," Athena sighed out.

"I know!"

 **Naruto continued to run, jumping into a roll and slamming his arms together so the two halves of Neptune's trident merged. The symbol gave off a golden glow and a blue energy expanded outward from it, growing wide and circular into a shield.**

"Now _that's_ a shield," Percy gaped, why couldn't Tyson build him something like that?!

"Okay, that's really interesting." Leo muttered, trying to think how to make that just as his dad was doing the same.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't give him a bladed weapon." Poseidon smirked as Athena rolled her eyes.

"Please, you were just as surprised as us."

The sea god snorted but said no more.

 **The next bolt hit it directly, bouncing back at the one who threw it. Jason moved and the lightning shot back up into the cloud. There was an offended boom of thunder.**

Poseidon snorted along with his siblings as his younger brother fumed at that.

"Sorry, father."

"It's alright, Jason." Zeus grumbled at his own element bounced back at him, that little…

 **Naruto separated his arms, the shield disappearing as soon as he did, and drove his hands into the ground. He strained for a moment before releasing a yell that snapped Jason out of his surprised daze, pulling a large amount of dirt out of the ground and lifting it over his head before throwing it at Jason.**

"Now _that's_ mudslinging," Leo corrected Frank's earlier statement.

 **Far too large to deflect, Jason was forced to avoid it. He chose to dive to the side and Naruto arched a brow. They ignored the startled cries of their observers as the mound of dirt hit the stands.**

"Serves them right," Poseidon nodded sternly.

 **Jason looked from where the dirt hit to Naruto, who grinned at him. Electric blue eyes widened and sea green eyes narrowed.**

"Someone's in trouble," Percy sang out as Thalia scowled.

"Come on, Jason!" she cheered loudly, "Whoo!"

"Listen to you," Annabeth giggled.

"What? I didn't get to do this before, so I'm catching up." The hunter explained while Jason palmed his face in embarrassment.

 **A bolt flew from Jason's spear and Naruto threw another clump, both cancelling out. Jason tried a gust of wind, but Naruto's throws were too powerful. They were at a stalemate, Naruto and Jason continued to fight like this, the crowd now white noise to them. Their silent conversation, the argument they had weeks before, was continued. Naruto was mudslinging, aiming low and trying to get Jason to accept what he did was wrong**

Apollo clapped, "Poetic."

"And true," Thalia get as Jason frowned at the betrayal.

 **while Jason spoke down to him, saying that it would've been out of line to interject where he wasn't wanted.**

"Law this, order that," Poseidon rolled his eyes as Zeus narrowed his.

"Both are important."

"You only display them when they're in your favor."

"…Shut up."

 **"It would have mattered!" Naruto finally shouted as he ripped the ground in front of him up. It was the size of a small car and Jason wouldn't have been able to slide out of the way, so he dove.**

"So, he threw a rock?" Leo raised a brow.

"It was a big rock." Hermes corrected, getting a snicker from Apollo for the Batman reference.

 **Then Naruto struck, launching himself from the ground into the air and tackling Jason down to the ground.**

"Your wings have been clipped, Jason Grace." Nico smirked as the boy ruffled up at that saying.

 **Naruto climbed atop the downed son of Jupiter, drawing his left fist back and punching Jason across the face. Jason felt a tooth fly out and his lip split open.**

"Ouch," Leo winced, "That's going to bruise."

"Oh, not his smile," Aphrodite frowned.

Piper glared daggers at Naruto's image for punching out one of Jason's teeth.

 **He knew that he couldn't take another hit like that and so he slipped his feet into Naruto's gut and pushed, Naruto tumbling off to his back.**

"Yes!" Jason cheered at his counter.

 **Naruto rolled onto his hands and knees, his eyes glinting dangerously with the same rage that made his father so feared.**

"Never seen Jackson with those," Hades snorted. "Seems this one has the temperament."

 **With an angered cry he got to his feet and turned around, looking at the coughing and slowly rising Jason with a glare. Naruto gave another angered roar, slamming his right fist into the dirt as he struggled to control himself. He got up as Jason got to one foot and started to stand, jumping at his friend with his right hand cocked back.**

"And fly boy goes flying."

"Nico!"

 **"I! WIN!" Naruto roared once his fist made contact with Jason's jaw. Jason's eyes flashed before he hit the ground, everything dark.**

"K-O!" Apollo said in the voice of the Street Fighter announcer. "Naruto Wins!"

"Dammit, Jason!" Thalia groaned.

"Guess my little brother is better than yours, Thalia. Now pay up."

"Shut up, Fish Boy!"

 **Naruto stood over the son of Jupiter, panting heavily as he looked at his knocked out friend. The audience was silent before they burst into cheers over the end of the gladiator match between the sons of Jupiter and Neptune.**

Dionysus clapped his hands. He thought it was a wonderful gladiator fight.

 **"** ** _The victor and the new champion of the gladiator arena, the leader of the quest for Scaevola's Dagger,_**

 _"That psychotic?" Athena sniffed while Dionysus rolled his eyes._

 _"The boy wasn't all that bad."_

 _"The boy burnt his own hand off."_

 _"…Details."_

 ** _Naruto Uzumaki! Son of Neptune!_** **"**

"Whoo!" Poseidon cheered along with all those that bet on Naruto as those who bet on Jason were disappointed.

"It was a good fight." Jason said, he thought he did well.

Ares snorted, "Loser."

"Ares!" his mother glared, but he struggled it off.

"Still fun to see," Leo grinned as he put the book down and Jason glared at him.

* * *

 **Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_ **.**

 **Reading Son of the Earthshaker**

 **V**

* * *

"I'll take over," Piper said. She was curious of what was to come next in the story, and eager to personally find out for herself.

 **Naruto ran his fingers over the trident on his arm, an action he used often to sooth his nerves.**

"We all have our quirks." Poseidon nodded nodded.

 **He was crouched at the edge of the camp's gates, waiting for his chosen squad to join him. His thoughts drifted to Abigail, wondering why she hadn't given him more explicit instructions on how to retain Scaevola's Dagger. Knowing the story well, Naruto hoped he didn't have to plunge his hand into fire or cut it off.**

"Yes…that psycho." Annabeth commented dryly.

"It was devotion to the cause." Jason frowned.

"No, it's lopping off your hand. Crazy."

Dionysus nodded. "Annabelle's not that far off the mark. Kid was a nut."

 **Edward's hand looked cool, but he really wasn't that into it.**

 **"Praetor!" The guard across from him snapped to attention and Naruto followed suit. Tim, his eye black and his left cheek still swollen,**

Ares grunted and Frank smirked a little.

 **approached them and stopped in front of Naruto. His dark eyes peered into Naruto's green with a large amount of withheld hostility in them.**

"And this is why Frank is the only nice son of war I know." Percy rolled his eyes. "They're all so full of hate. Why not move on."

"Because hate means fighting, Jackson. Duh." Ares drawled as if the boy were stupid.

 **"Legionnaire Uzumaki," he said. "You are tasked with recovering Scaevola's Dagger, the weapon lost by a member of the Fifth led by Michael Varus.**

 **All we know is that Varus shamed the Legion and failed in his endeavor. He was said to have gone north in search of some answers. I would advise you to follow his tracks, but do not follow his lead."**

 **"Yes, Praetor." Naruto nodded. The shame of Varus was a story every member of the Fifth learned very quickly. Naruto didn't plan on following the deceased Preator's lead.**

"We got dumped on a lot for that." Hazel sighed.

"Oh yeah." Frank nodded.

"Big time." Jason agreed.

 **Tim turned to leave, but stopped and looked back. "And Uzumaki?"**

 **Naruto didn't even blink at the threatening tone. "Yes, sir?"**

 **Tim narrowed his eyes. "Do** ** _not_** **return without the Dagger."**

"Free to do whatever till then." Percy grinned.

 **"I don't plan to," Naruto said. "Sir!"**

 **Tim nodded and walked off. Naruto and the guard both relaxed.**

 **"What a grouchy bear."**

 **Naruto jumped with his fist pulled back. He relaxed when he saw the giggling blonde with starry golden eyes. Naruto put his hand on his chest and relaxed. He scowled at the girl. "Misaki, don't sneak up on me like that!"**

"Such a stalker." Artemis said. She rubbed her chin. "If trained right, she _might_ make for a good Hunter."

"Never!" Aphrodite cried out and glared at the goddess of the hunt.

 **Misaki just tapped his nose, her playful smile on her face. "But Naruto, where's the fun if I don't?"**

 **"Giving me a heart attack is fun, good to know," Naruto said dryly.**

"That hat did it to me all the time." Percy pouted at his grinning girlfriend.

 **"Jay-Jay rubbed off on you," Misaki said with a pout.**

"I do not lack humor." Jason frowned.

 **Naruto frowned, thinking of his friend that was still unconscious from the day before. He punched just a** ** _tad_** **bit too hard and was afraid that he had accidentally knocked the Golden Boy into a coma.**

"Wow, he took you to school!"

"Leo, whose side are you on?"

"The one with blond hair?"

"...Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." Jason clapped sarcastically.

"I try." Leo grinned back at him.

 **Naruto hoped that wasn't the case and that Jason was just out for a day or two.**

"Smacked him down like a bitch."

"Ares," Hera glared at her son for mocking her Champion.

 **Misaki saw his frown and decided to change topics. "So...where's our third? Or did they call in sick?"**

 **"You wish." Zack chuckled as he walked up to join them. Strapped to a crisscrossing belt were two small pouches with short arrows and over his chest was a weapon Naruto blinked at.**

 **"Is that one of the Vulcan Crossbows?" he asked.**

Hephaestus grinned. He and his Roman self did good work.

 **"Yep." The one-eyed son of Fortuna grinned and pulled the ballista inspired weapon from his back. The crossbow was made from steel and the front of it was designed to look like a shrieking eagle.**

"Oooh," Frank said with a gleam of interest and desire in his eyes.

"Meh, bows are cooler." Apollo shrugged. He and Artemis shared a quick, godly speed high-five.

 **Zack pulled a bolt from his pouch and loaded it into the crossbow's line; the Imperial Gold tip gleamed in the sunlight. He took aim and fired at a tree on the other side of the Little Tiber.**

"Perfect waste of an imperial gold bolt." Reyna shook her head.

"Well, salesmen have to make use of one example to prove their worth." Hermes interjected.

 **Zack rested the bow against his shoulder, looking like a strange mix of a pirate and a hunter; only he was wearing jeans and a purple shirt. "Cost me a bit of my winnings at cards, but I think it was worth it."**

 **"Not bad. Reload must take some time, though," Naruto said.**

 **"I only need one clear shot and a good position to shoot from," Zack said.**

"True," Apollo nodded. "But reload speed is important, too."

"Indeed." His twin nodded. It was why she didn't like crossbows. They, along with guns, took all the fun out of a hunt.

 **He holstered his crossbow and crossed his arms. "Are we ready to go or what?"**

 **Naruto nodded and turned to the open doors. He led his two companions out and stopped to acknowledge Terminus. "We set out for Scaevola's Dagger."**

 **"Take heed, Legionnaires, the Olympians are restless. Dangers long since forgotten are popping up now more than ever," Terminus said. "Return successfully or don't bother at all. Aut vincere aut mori."**

 **"Conquer or die." The three nodded to him after they recited the camp's motto in English.**

"So warm and fuzzy," Thalia said with a frown.

"Motivating, though," Jason said.

"That's not funny."

"I beg to differ."

 **Terminus nodded back and then looked forward, to the woods. They crossed the Little Tiber and left to the tunnel where they would hitch a ride to cross through most of California.**

 **They left the heart of the Golden State by taxi. Naruto attributed it to Mercury smiling upon them and thanked the god for the safe passage.**

"I try." Hermes smirked.

 **Then he cursed Venus under his breath for making Misaki so clingy when she slept.**

Aphrodite giggled. "Oh I take no offense at all."

"Hm..." Jason looked at Piper thoughtfully.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Jason smiled. That certainly explained a few things.

 **As if the back seat of the cab wasn't crowded enough by the three of them alone, Zack being nearly full grown while Naruto was a bit broader than his fellow eleven year olds at camp. And while she might say otherwise, Misaki was not adorably portable.**

"Nonsense! Just look at her!" Aphrodite giggled again.

 **She took up half his seat and left a huge gap between herself and Zack.**

 **Naruto groaned as the cabbie drove over a bump; it made him hit his head on the window. He was doing everything in his power not to whack his head on Misaki's, who had claimed his shoulder as her pillow. Misaki's head lightly bounced against his arm and grumbled as she snuggled deeper against him.**

"That is adorable." Hazel said. "Misaki is a cute girl."

"I really want to see the meeting between her and I." Piper mumbled.

 **Naruto glared at the back of the driver's head.**

 **"Hey, we paid you to get us to the north border, not go over potholes at every turn," Naruto said.**

"Not his fault," Hermes said, "Blame the poor road work. I tell you, kills me most of the time."

 **"You wanted to get north, right? This is the fastest way," the man said. Naruto looked at the driver's ID on the back of the seat. The man's face was impish and reminded Naruto of the fauns that would laze about Camp Jupiter due to his sideburns and curly hair.**

Reyna grumbled under her breath. Typical fauns, such lazy things.

 **His name was, oddly enough, Jason. Jason P. Garrick.**

"Garrick!" Hermes beamed.

 **"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Garrick," Naruto said. He shifted his now numb shoulder and Misaki grumbled, wrapping her arms around his tightly. "I mean, driving us for six hours already..."**

 **"Hey, as long as the money is good, I'll take you as far as you need to go. Just don't tell my boss, okay?" Garrick grinned into the mirror.**

"He _so_ has to be mine." Hermes grinned.

 **Naruto vaguely felt that the grin was familiar but brushed it off. "Yeah. So, how far into Oregon can you take us?"**

 **"I've got a sister that works as a park ranger at Crater Lake," Garrick said. "Won't be cheap though."**

"Who made that one again?" Hades asked as the gods shrugged.

 **Naruto shuffled his left arm into his pocket as best he could, Misaki was really good at keeping him in place, and dug around for a moment. He pulled out a golden coin that looked like Julius.**

 **"A dollar coin? I don't think that'll cut it kid," Garrick said. Naruto grinned.**

 **"It's from Ancient Rome. The market value is about fifty thousand Euros."**

"Yes, throw around prices like that. Good way to get shot." Ares snickered, getting a glare from his sea uncle.

 **Garrick pulled over to a curb with a screech. He got out of his seat and opened the back door. His hand was held out expectantly and there was a gleam in his eye.**

"Someone's a greedy old man." Leo commented.

 **"If you're lying, I'll have the three of you in juvie faster than you can say 'money'," he said. Naruto put the coin in his hand and Garrick began turning it over this way and that. He finally brought it up to his mouth and bit down on it. Garrick pulled it away and pocketed the coin. "Very well! I'm a man of my word. To Crater Park it is!"**

"Miner forty-niner.." Apollo sung until Artemis stopped him with a smack on the arm.

 **"Are we there?" Zack asked as he woke up from Garrick's enthusiasm.**

 **"No," Naruto said as the cab started to drive again. He tried to get comfortable, but Misaki was making it difficult. "Hey, can you wake her up? I'm losing feeling in my arm."**

"That's not the only thing I bet he's feeling." Percy snickered.

 **Zack looked at Misaki blearily and poked her in the shoulder. Misaki groaned and hid her face in Naruto's arm.**

"Aww," Aphrodite cooed. "She's so cute!"

"Why can't you be the cuddly?" Percy teased Annabeth, who gave him a pouty glare.

"Be thankful for what you get."

 **Zack looked back at Naruto and shrugged. He adjusted himself in his seat and leaned against the window. "Wake me when we get wherever we're going."**

 **"What? Wait, no, Zack, I want to sleep too! Dude, come on!"**

 **They arrived at Crater Lake National Park three hours later. Eventually Naruto did fall asleep, but his was more akin to a nap than a good rest. His arm was numb from the shoulder down and his legs were like noodles...and not the good kind!**

"No ramen," Hazel sighed sadly.

 **Naruto needed a second before he could get out of the taxi.**

 **"Mm, that felt** ** _really_** **good!" Misaki said as she stretched her arms above her head once she was out of the cab. She turned to Naruto with a smile on her face. "How'd you sleep, Naruto?"**

Percy glanced at Annabeth, she would so ask something like that if that happened to them.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

 **Naruto was torn between lying and glaring at Misaki. Not wanting to lie to a friend and just too tired at the moment to really glare at her, he decided on an indifferent answer. "Okay, I guess."**

 **"I had the best pillow," Misaki said. Naruto felt his cheeks heat up and looked at the sky, trying to forget that statement and what it implied. Stupid hormones.**

"Poor guy." Frank snickered.

 **"I hit my head against the window a lot." Naruto glared at the innocently whistling Garrick, who was looking over his new coin.**

 **"Do you need a kiss to make it better?" Misaki asked.**

 **His cheeks darkened. "Why do you have to make it weird, Misaki?"**

"There's that denseness." Annabeth looked amused.

"Misaki's got her work cut out for her," Thalia snickered.

 **Misaki pouted. "It's not weird, it's a perfectly good question."**

"Oui!" Aphrodite nodded in agreement eagerly.

 **"A** ** _very_** **good question," Zack said. He grinned while Naruto glared at him. "What? It is."**

 **"If you're all done flirting with each other, let's go see if my sister is here," Garrick said. The group glared at him for various reasons but followed nonetheless. They walked down the dirt trail to a small wooden building that had a sign at the end of the path: Crater Lake National Park Ranger Station. Above the doors were two others: Visitor Information and Book Store. Garrick walked up to the door and knocked on it.**

 **The door opened and a woman with impish features similar to Garrick's walked out.**

"Another?" the thief god grinned impishly.

 **Her hair was not curly, and it wasn't dark. It was actually rather straight and pulled back into a ponytail under a hat. She was dressed in brown and tan ranger clothing, with a badge pinned to her chest. The woman had the same blue eyes as Garrick, glancing at him as he held the coin up. Her eyes widened and she looked past him at the group, staring at their shirts.**

"She's in the know." Hazel said.

"Some legionaries leave. Not exactly unheard of." Reyna commented.

"Still, talk about a chance meeting."

 **"Hey Joan! I brought some friends of yours. Got any coffee? I've been driving for hours." Garrick walked past her into the ranger outpost like he owned the place.**

 **"Peter..." Joan turned and stormed in after him. She turned back to the kids with a scowl on her face. "Well? Come in, then."**

 **"That's not very nice manners to your guests, Joan."**

 **"Shut it, Peter."**

 **"Dad wouldn't be pleased."**

"Well, yeah, I'm God of Travelers. You have to give hospitable behavior," Hermes said with a wag of his finger.

 **"Since when have I ever pleased him?"**

"Daddy issues?" Thalia snorted. "From a grown woman? Wow."

"Funny, since you're never going to grow up."

"Shut it, di Angelo."

 **"Uh, excuse me?" Naruto cut in to the siblings' bickering. "We just need to cut through. We're on a, uh..."**

 **"Church mission." Naruto and Misaki looked at Zack and he shrugged. "Technically, we are."**

"Kid ain't lying." Apollo snickered, it was a good cover.

 **"Save the lies," Joan said, taking her hat off and hanging it on a rack. "I know you're from Camp Jupiter."**

Hazel smirked, "Called it."

 **"How?" Naruto asked. "I thought the Mist covered our shirts?"**

 **"Not for monsters. I wondered why a cabbie agreed to take us to the border without any questions!" Zack reached over his shoulder and grabbed his crossbow. Naruto clenched his fists and Misaki pulled her dagger out.**

"Kill the old people!" Nico cried out.

"Please don't. I have enough work as it is," Hades said dryly.

 **"Whoa! Hey! I'm just a cabbie!" Garrick held his hands up. "I swear it on my mother's grave!"**

 **"Put them away," Joan said. She took a seat behind her desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out a flask and undid the cap. Joan took a drink from the flask. She replaced the cap and rolled the sleeve of her shirt up, revealing a familiar set of letters and above it was a caduceus. Three bars were under the letters SPQR.**

"Knew she was mine!" Hermes grinned.

"Why only three lines?" Reyna asked.

Her question caused Hermes to frown.

 **"You're a Legionnaire!" Naruto gaped in surprise, lowering his fists. Misaki lowered her dagger and Zack put his crossbow away.**

 **"If we're showing off tattoos, I guess I should show mine, too." Garrick chuckled and rolled his own sleeve up. The same markings were on his arm; only he had ten lines instead of three.**

"He graduated it seems." Jason commented but narrowed his eyes, "But why a cabbie?"

"Why not?" Hermes asked his half-brother. "Traveler god's kid. Good luck. Duh."

"Oh."

 **Naruto let it sink in before he glared at Garrick. "You knew we were on a quest?"**

 **"I figured." Garrick rolled his sleeve back down and turned around to make some coffee. "When you're told to make a stop outside of the tunnel to camp, you pretty much prepare to drive a few legionnaires around. So what're your cohorts? I was a member of the Third, myself."**

 **"Fifth," Naruto and Zack said proudly.**

Those of the Fifth cheered.

 **"Second," Misaki said, smiling pleasantly.**

 **Garrick whistled. "Two members of the Fifth...wow...they let you go on quests after what Varus did?"**

Jason's jaw tightened, Frank groaned and Hazel frowned.

 **Naruto and Zack glared at him along with Joan.**

 **"Shut up, Peter." The park ranger took another sip from her flask. "So what fool quest are you doing?"**

"Someone's bitter." Hades said.

"Pot meet kettle." Zeus commented, getting a glare from his eldest brother.

 **Naruto shared a look with Zack and Misaki before he looked back at Joan. "We're looking for Scaevola's Dagger. We know the Legionnaire that had it went on the quest with Varus."**

 **Joan scowled. "You might as well turn around and go home. No one is bringing that dagger back."**

"This just got interesting." Ares grinned.

 **"How do you know?" Misaki asked.**

 **"Because I was on that quest, too," Joan said.**

The Romans gained a sad look.

 **"But according to the report, Varus said there were no survivors!" Zack clenched his fists tightly.**

 **"We failed in our quest, which we volunteered for." Joan took another sip of her flask. She scowled. "Aut vincere aut mori."**

 **"You didn't come back..." Naruto frowned. That was basically the same as being declared dead.**

"I know the feeling," Hazel frowned, Frank gave her a half-hug.

 **"Why would I want to?" Joan asked. Garrick went over to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and glared at him. "Don't! I'm over it."**

"Clearly." Leo nodded.

 **"Yeah, obviously," Garrick said. He rolled his eyes and went to the coffee machine, opening the mini fridge tucked underneath it. "Would you guys like anything?"**

 **"I'll take some black," Zack said. He plopped down into a chair and yawned while he rubbed at his eye patch.**

 **"Just some milk if you have it," Misaki said.**

"Milk is good for you." Aphrodite nodded.

"She's a big girl now." Piper sang with a giggle.

 **She wandered over to pictures on the wall and scrutinized them. Probably looking over the clothes they wore.**

 **"Water," Naruto said. A bottle of water flew his way from where Garrick was and the light gleamed off of his bracer. Joan dropped her flask with a gasp of shock. The three from Camp Jupiter looked at her curiously, but she continued to stare at the bracers on Naruto's wrist.**

 **"Y-You...You're a...a..." Joan looked like she couldn't fathom it.**

 **Naruto watched her face carefully as he held his wrist up. "Yes. I'm the son of Neptune."**

"More bashing on my Roman line?" Poseidon scowled. Percy joined him.

 **"Ha! I knew he wouldn't hold true to the pact! Alan so owes me fifty bucks," Garrick said. "Jupiter wouldn't keep it my ass! It was his idea!"**

Zeus coughed a little and Poseidon looked a little sheepish.

 **"Actually, funny story..." Zack told the two former legionnaires about Jason and they gaped. Zack laughed at their reactions.**

 **"A son of Jupiter and a son of Neptune." Joan tossed her flask into the garbage.**

"Too much booze." Percy snickered.

"Nonsense." Dionysus waved off. "You can never have too much."

"...D, they can die if they drink too much. They're half mortal," Apollo pointed out.

"...Oh, that's horrid."

 **Garrick pestered Zack for more information; eager to know what gossip he could spread among the small community outside of New Rome.**

 **"Naruto, come here." Misaki waved Naruto over. He joined her and she pointed at a picture. In the photograph was a girl that looked like a younger Joan; she had her arms around a boy with black hair and brown eyes while they sat in front of a lake. Both of them had Camp Jupiter shirts on. Joan had a sword on her hip whereas on the boy's belt was a sheathed dagger. "Look at the title. 'Summer 1981: Crater Lake'."**

 **"...That's why she didn't go back," Naruto said. In the picture, Joan didn't look that much older than him, maybe a year or two tops.**

"Oh that's so beautiful." Aphrodite sighed.

"Mom, her boyfriend died." Piper said.

"So, utterly, heart-wrenchingly, tragically beautiful."

"...I'm related to that. Be afraid, Jason. Be afraid." Piper groaned as she rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder while he chuckled.

 **"That's so tragic," Misaki said, covering her mouth as her eyes watered.**

 **"Where is the dagger?" Naruto asked, interrupting Zack. He agreed with Misaki, but now he had a lead and he fully intended to follow it through. The two former legionnaires looked at him and he pressed on. "The Dagger of Scaevola, where is it?"**

 **"...Even for you it's suicide," Joan said.**

"Ha! We're made to survive suicide!" Percy grinned.

Annabeth smacked him, "That's not something to gloat about!"

"But I do it, like, all the time." The son of the sea pouted.

"Don't remind me," Annabeth groaned.

 **"Maybe..." Garrick came over with a glass of milk and a mug for Zack. The two took the offered drinks with gratitude and he turned to his sister. "He is the son of the sea god."**

 **"It won't matter!" Joan slammed her hands on her desk and stood up. "I had to run away while Wally died stalling** ** _it_** **!"**

"This one sounds nasty." Frank muttered.

 **"Was that who the boy was?" Misaki asked while Naruto and Zack shared a concerned look.**

 **Joan scowled at her, but Misaki kept a pleasant smile on her face while she drank her milk. "Yes...That was Wally Bronson. He was a legacy of Bellona."**

Reyna's heart clenched at that, terrible, just terrible. What kind of monster was it?

 **"I'm sorry for your loss," Misaki said. She set her half-empty glass on the table and looked Joan in the eye. "Can you tell us how he died?"**

 **Joan swallowed. "He was killed by the Cetus."**

"Whoops." Poseidon said, looking sheepish.

 **"...** ** _The_** **Cetus? The thing that laid waste to Aethiopia after Cassiopeia insulted Neptune?" Zack asked. His eye bulged out of his head.**

"The Nereids." Poseidon corrected.

"You just wanted to look good in front of fifty hot water nymphs, dad."

"Percy!" Poseidon held his heart, clearly stunned at the truthful words of his demigod son while his family laughed.

 **Naruto looked at his friend with the question written on his face. Neptune sent a monster after a whole country because of one woman's insult?**

"The Nereids were insulted, it reflects on me if I let it go." Poseidon huffed.

"And again, fifty hot water nymphs."

"...You're not one to talk, Zeus."

 **"Yes," Joan said. Tears brimmed her eyes and she buried her hands in her face. "I saw him get eaten."**

"That's horrible." Hazel whispered, moving closer to Frank. All the couples bunched together.

Leo frowned and folded his arms over his chest. He missed Calypso.

Nico idly thought of Will.

Reyna frowned, wondering about her love life.

Thalia just tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth, completely disinterested.

 **"Where is it?" Misaki asked.**

 **"The Columbia River," Joan said. "Off the coast of Lois Island...We didn't even bury him a grave...I never got to say goodbye..."**

 **"I think it's time you get on with your quest," Garrick said as Joan buried her face in her hands. He had a frown on his face and Naruto knew that there would be no arguing over it. They got up and thanked Garrick for the ride and the drinks. Naruto stopped at the door, turning back to look at the two.**

 **"I, uh...I won't tell. You know, that you're...she's..."**

Reyna pursed her lips. "I'm unsure how to properly call that one."

"Then don't bother with it." Piper suggested.

 **"Thank you," Garrick said, his arm wrapped over Joan's shoulders in a hug.**

 **Naruto left feeling that he might have overstayed his welcome. He stepped into the cold Oregon air and shivered lightly. Zack and Misaki looked at him and he sighed.**

 **"So...now where do we go?" Naruto asked them.**

 **"I snagged a map before we left and I found this brochure," Zack said, holding a green pamphlet out to Naruto.**

 **Naruto took it from him and opened it up. He gave Zack a confused look. "Horseback tours?"**

"And the equine for the win again." The sea god smirked.

"Olives."

"…Damn you." Poseidon glared at his rival.

 **"Why not?" Zack shrugged. "You're the son of Neptune. God of the sea and horses, maybe you're a horse whisperer or something."**

"He is." Percy nodded, it was weird at first for him too.

 **"Yeah, maybe...This would be so much easier if we could drive," Naruto said. He sighed and gave the map back to Zack. "You lead, we'll follow. I suck at reading maps."**

 **"That's why you're not getting promoted anytime soon." Zack chuckled. Naruto grumbled to himself while Misaki patted his shoulder reassuringly.**

"Support your man, Misaki!" Aphrodite cheered.

 **He opened the map and turned right. "This way."**

 **A few hours passed since they left the ranger station and they had stopped to rest. The three legionnaires set up camp halfway around Crater Lake. Naruto was gathering firewood when he heard the first growl. He brushed it off and knocked another dead tree down, silently thanking his father for bestowing him with his gift of strength.**

Poseidon smirked, "Anytime."

 **Neptune was a complicated subject for Naruto. He was one of the three brothers, alongside Jupiter Maximus (or the Transformer Wannabe as Naruto recently started to call him)**

Everyone snickered at that, even Jason, and Zeus turned an interesting shade of purple.

"Transformer Wannabe..." Zeus repeated sourly.

"Bastard in disguise."

Zeus glared daggers at Hades, who smirked back at him while Poseidon openly laughed.

 **and Pluto, so Naruto respected Neptune's strength and status as a god. That was concrete, even if it got him some flak in the cohort.**

 **However, when it came to Neptune as a father, Naruto was conflicted in his feelings. Sure, Neptune was one of the Olympians, but he was a longtime enemy of Rome, dating back to the destruction of Troy. He sunk Roman ships more than any other and even one of his legacies had been rumored to cause an earthquake in San Francisco back in the early 1900s.**

Frank frowned at that, it wasn't true. He felt sorry for Naruto taking the flak for that. It wasn't right.

 **That being said, Neptune was his** ** _father_** **, the male that provided the necessary key within his mother to make him a possibility.**

"You know. Sex."

"Apollo!" Artemis scowled as her twin grinned.

"It's true~! And, considering Ninja-Waifu's appearance, I don't blame him."

"Pig."

"I love to be a ham!"

 **Naruto didn't even think to ask his mother how she had met Neptune; he was just elated to know who she was.**

Jason had a bitter look on his face and Thalia outright scowled.

 **Naruto wanted to know why she had been chosen, why he had been born with a huge burden, cursed to be hated. Naruto wanted to meet Neptune, to get some clear answers.**

Poseidon frowned, hoping his other met the boy soon.

 **He wanted to know if he was just an antithesis to Jason, if he was a spur of the moment accident or a result of something else.**

"Something else," the sea god assured, something wonderful.

 **"Focus," Naruto said. He looked back at the downed tree and bowed his head. "Thank you Faunus, for the supplied tree."**

Hermes broke into a sad smile.

 **The minor gods were something that interested Naruto, and he respected them perhaps more than he did the Olympians, and thanked them whenever he could (or remembered to). All that hard work to keep the world in working order and only twelve were recognized? It was certainly unfair in Naruto's opinion, but on the other hand, that was how the military worked.**

"Pretty much." Reyna commented in agreement.

 **That was how the wild worked. You fight or you die.**

 **Look out.**

 **Naruto frowned wondering who said that and turned around. He felt immense pain in his jaw and crumpled to the ground.**

"Sucker punch!" Ares cheered.

 **Naruto rolled out of the way as a large brown elbow landed in the dirt where he once stood. Attached to the elbow was a furry body, like a bear's. Only this "bear" was walking upright like a human and was wearing Levis.**

"It's them!" Percy exclaimed, Annabeth glared at the picture.

 **"Damn, missed. Don't want to cut you. You got all that juicy flesh." The bear-man growled. "Oreius!"**

 **Naruto ducked under the charging pounce of another bear-man and he stumbled back, tripping over the tree he had moments ago knocked down.**

"Moron," Ares scowled.

 **He landed with a grunt and scrambled quickly back to his feet, facing the two monsters with his fists up. The tridents on his wrists shone and the bracers unfolded into his two gauntlets of Imperial Gold. Naruto glared at them, all the way to their eyes that were seven feet from the ground.**

 **"Shiny..." the bear-man that had spoken before said.**

"Oooh." Leo said, "Me want shiny."

"Easy, Leo." Piper giggled.

 **The other, Oreius, stared along with his brother at the gauntlets.**

 **"Yeah, shiny. Mind telling me who you guys are and why you guys attacked me?" Naruto asked with a glare.**

 **"You're food. We're hungry."**

"I would have never thought." Percy gasped mockingly.

 **"Glad we sorted this out," Naruto said. He fell to his back when Oreius leapt at him again. Naruto drove his feet into Oreius' stomach and tossed him back into the brush. He rolled out of the throw and hopped back to his feet with his fists up. "Can I get a name?"**

 **"Agrius!" Agrius said with a swing of his massive paw-like fist. Naruto blocked it with a stumble.**

 **"You're strong, but I'm stronger," Naruto said. He brought his other fist back and cracked Agrius across the face. The bear-man was sent to the ground hard.**

"Yeah!" Jason grinned.

"He's going to be feeling that," Percy smirked, "Wait, this is before our Sea of Monster's quest, right?"

"Yep." Annabeth nodded and her eyes widened, "Oh, they might mention him!"

Percy nodded, "Exactly."

 **Naruto turned and caught Oreius' fists with his hands. They struggled for a moment but Naruto started to tighten his grip and twist Oreius' hands. Oreius grunted and slowly dropped to his knees.**

"Kneel! Kneel before Zod!" Apollo ordered.

"I hate that movie." Zeus grumbled.

"Ah, right." Apollo cleared his throat and then pointed at the ground. "Kneel! Kneel before Zeus!"

Zeus glared at his Sun-driving son. Who knew Apollo could be such a smart-ass?

 **"Let him go!" Agrius tackled Naruto from the side. The bear-man growled at him and kept the son of Neptune pinned to the ground. "Other people near. Smell them on you! Where?!"**

 **"I'd rather die," Naruto said.**

 **"Then die!" Agrius reared his head back and opened his mouth.**

 **"Oreius, your brother stole your meal! Get it back!"**

"Misaki with the Charmspeak for the win," Piper grinned.

 **Agrius turned and snarled at the new voice. He yelped when his brother suddenly tackled him off of Naruto. Naruto scrambled to his feet while the two bears fought. A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him along.**

 **"Nice timing," he said. "Thanks Misaki."**

 **Misaki smiled at him. "Anytime cutie."**

"Anytime, cutie." Annabeth told Percy with a sly look. Percy grinned back at her.

 **"How'd you know their names?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Every child and legacy of Venus knows those two," Misaki said.**

"I didn't." Piper admitted with a pout.

 **She looked like she ate something sour, which was a look Naruto had only seen on her face** ** _once_** **. He silently pitied the poor legionnaire that was** ** _still_** **doing all of her chores for her because he got yellow lemonade for her instead of pink lemonade. Misaki stopped when they were behind a large tree and looked back at where they left the two bear men. "Agrius and Oreius. They're from before Rome, very, very old monsters. Their mother, Polyphonte, insulted Venus by running off to join Diana's group of maidens. Venus made her fall in love with a bear."**

Artemis scowled at Aphrodite, who huffed.

"If she had just listened to me, then maybe she wouldn't have done it with a bear."

"Mortals have choices." The huntress told her.

"Perhaps, but I will not be slighted." The lady of doves smiled wickedly.

Piper suddenly shuddered as a cold chill went up her spine.

 **"Harsh. You can't do that, right?" Naruto asked.**

 **Misaki smiled at him. "I wouldn't make you fall in love with a bear, if that's what you're worried about."**

"Way to avoid the questions." Jason said, looking at Piper with a slight worry. He got a glare.

"I won't do that. Heck, I don't even think I can."

"Good."

 **That didn't answer his question at all, but Naruto decided not to focus on that and looked back to where the twins were. "So how were they beaten before?"**

 **"Mercury was sent to punish them, but Mars stopped him because they were his legacies and they were turned into birds."**

Ares scowled at the reminder while Hermes grinned like a loon.

 **Naruto closed his eyes in frustration. "Great, so we've got to change them into birds."**

 **"Not necessarily," Misaki said. "We just have to keep them separated."**

 **"I can take one out if we do that," Naruto said. "But how are we going to keep them apart?"**

 **"Like this," Misaki said. She stepped out from behind the tree and whistled. The twin sons of Polyphonte turned to the source of the whistle and she blew them a kiss. "Daughter of Venus meat ready and willing to be eaten boys! You just have to catch me first!"**

"Well, she does make good bait," Artemis smirked.

"The prettiest kind there is." Aphrodite huffed right back.

 **With that, Misaki ran off into the woods. Agrius and Oreius untangled from each other and ran after her. Naruto clotheslined Agrius as he ran past.**

"Now go for the pin!" Apollo cheered in his WWE shirt.

 **His blow knocked the older twin to the ground while Oreius continued his pursuit.**

 **"You! You travel with her ilk! You must die," Agrius said as he got to his feet.**

"So glad I didn't meet them," Piper said, they seemed annoying.

 **He tried to tackle Naruto, but the shorter blond caught Agrius by his arms and reared his head back. The son of Neptune stumbled back along with Agrius, both of them rubbing their heads.**

"I love that move." Ares grinned.

"That explains so much." Athena said, "No wonder you don't have any brain cells left."

"Hey!"

 **"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea," Naruto said to himself. He tried to shake the dazed spots out of his eyes, which cost him as Agrius drove his knee into Naruto's stomach. Naruto doubled over and got hit with a following blow to the back of the head.**

"Ouch," Frank winced, he beat up a giant as a bear. He knew that had to hurt.

 **"Head hurts, hungry and furious," Agrius said. He turned Naruto over onto his back and grabbed him by the hair. "Not going to eat you anymore. Going to beat you to death and feed you to Oreius!"**

"That's so much better." Percy rolled his eyes.

 **Naruto spat in the bear's eye and brought his left fist up to crack Agrius in the jaw. Agrius stumbled back and rubbed at his eye, a growl escaped his mouth. Naruto took advantage of the distraction and swept the abomination onto his back with a low kick. Naruto grabbed the bear-like snout in his right hand and grabbed under Agrius' right arm with his left. He struggled for a second before he successfully lifted Agrius off the ground and launched him into the air.**

"Like a rage doll." Thalia smirked, "Nice throwing arm."

"I see Major Leagues for this kid," Apollo grinned.

 **Naruto then went to a relatively small tree, about three feet in diameter, and took hold of the trunk. He pulled until the roots gave out and ripped the tree from the ground.**

"The tree!" Demeter exclaimed in horror.

 **It was about twenty feet high. Agrius crashed down through branches and landed with a loud boom. Naruto hefted the tree over his shoulder and swung it like a bat just as Agrius started to rise.**

 **Agrius was struck in the right side and was sent for a short fly, taking down a few more trees in the process.**

"That a boy, slugger." Poseidon laughed, mirth in his eyes.

 **Naruto dropped the tree to the side and ran after the monster, intending to finish him off before he could get back to his senses. Naruto found Agrius as the bear-man rose from the ground, a tree on his back leg.**

 **"Little annoying shit. Must be son of Hermes. Must be," Agrius said under his breath.**

"Sadly no." Hermes sighed.

 **Naruto blinked in confusion. "Son of Hermes? You mean Mercury, right?"**

 **Agrius scowled. "Fake gods...Imposters! Stole the lives of my family, the gods did! Beloved father Ares turned us to birds!"**

 **"Uh-huh... 'Before Rome'...You guys are** ** _graceus_** **! That explains the weird names," Naruto said.**

"Not weird." The gods muttered with frowns.

 **Agrius spat blood to the side and glared at Naruto. "Kill you dead, boy. Feed you to Oreius."**

 **"Yeah, I don't see that happening." Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Right now your brother is being led on a wild goose chase and-"**

 **"Uh...Cutie? Might want to turn around..."**

"Uh-oh." Leo said with a wince.

 **Naruto paled and slowly did just that. He groaned and palmed himself in the head once he did. Misaki was being held by her neck in Oreius' arm, with an annoyed look plastered on her face.**

"Misaki is not amused." Hazel giggled at the face.

"Damsel in distress." Artemis chuckled at the image, irking the love goddess at her words.

 **"You got caught?!"**

 **"Well I can't run around forever!" Misaki crossed her arms and pouted. "I tripped, sorry for not having night vision. Besides, it seems the other one put mud in his ears. I can't talk him out of holding me."**

"Ear plugs, huh?" Leo rubbed his chin, glancing at Piper.

"Oh, ha-ha." She rolled her eyes. Still, that sucked for Misaki.

 **"Good job, Oreius! Tonight we feast on Aphrodite's daughter!" Agrius grinned and got to his feet. "And the son of...Er...Apollo?"**

"I wish!" Apollo groaned, "All my awesome kids come from my Greek side. Got none on the Roman side except Abby!"

 **"Hardly," Naruto said with a snort. That would make him related to Octavian. That was something Naruto could do without. He clenched his hands back into fists and tensed in preparation to move. "I'm the son of Neptune."**

 **Agrius blinked and a moment of silence passed before his grin widened. "Son of Poseidon!? Lucky day! We feast on Aphrodite's flesh** ** _and_** **get back in Zeus' good graces!"**

"Such a baby, you broke the law, too." Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"You only did it after I did. For both of them." Zeus pointed out with a smug look.

Poseidon glared at Zeus for that one.

 **Naruto frowned in confusion. Why would his death put them in Jupiter's good graces? He banished the question from his mind and prepared to act.**

 **"Heads up!"**

 **Naruto, Misaki, Oreius and Agrius looked up. Somewhere in the woods, it sounded like someone was dragging a stick along a picket fence. Bolts lined with golden heads started to fly out of the trees at their feet.**

"They're swarming, scatter!" Leo cried out.

"Flee!" Frank joined him.

 **One hit Oreius in the arm and he dropped Misaki to the ground. Oreius whimpered and ran off into the woods.**

 **"Idiot!" Agrius snarled and ran after him. "Kill you next time, son of Poseidon!"**

"No, you try to kill the other son of the sea." Percy corrected.

"Percy, they can't hear you."

"I'm just saying is all." Percy told his girlfriend with a shrug.

 **Naruto growled and made to run after them but stopped when a final bolt landed in front of him.**

"Kill denied." Nico whistled.

 **He turned and glared at Zack, who landed from where he was in the trees. The older Legionnaire holstered his crossbow onto his back with a small frown on his face. "We don't need to run after them. We've got a quest, remember?"**

 **"So we just let them run off!?" Naruto asked.**

"No, please go kill them." Percy said, seriously, it would save them for their Sea of Monsters quest!

 **Zack shook his head. "We can't afford to get lost. This area is to their advantage. We need to get to the stables."**

"It's good to have a leveled headed member on a quest." Annabeth nodded, the boy was smart.

 **Naruto glared at him for another moment before he sighed. "Yeah, you're right."**

 **"I know I am," Zack said, smiling. He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm glad you think so, too. Listening to advice is what makes you a better commander.**

Annabeth gave an amused look to Percy, who sheepishly grinned back.

 **There's more than one way to skin a bear."**

"Indeed." Artemis grinned.

 **"Maybe if we're lucky they'll run into Diana and her cheerleaders," Misaki said,**

"Cheerleader?!" Thalia growled.

"Fitting." Nico grinned, getting a stormy look from his cousin. But the son of Hades just shrugged it off.

 **dusting her pants off with a pout. "Damn bears got my clothes dirty."**

"The fiends!" Aphrodite gasped.

 **"Woe is us," Naruto said wryly. He chuckled at the puffed cheeks Misaki gained and looked to Zack. "So, oh wise one, which way now?"**

"Wise? Please." Athena scoffed.

 **"That way," Zack said, pointing in the opposite direction that the twin monsters ran. "We're all awake now, we should make the best of it."**

 **"Right, lead on," Naruto said.**

"I thought he was leader?" Jason asked.

"The perks of command, telling someone to do it for you." Percy grinned.

"Amen." Reyna smiled as well.

"I want to read next." Annabeth said and Piper handed the book over to her.

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_ **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **VI**

* * *

Annabeth immediately began to read.

 **"It smells horrible here! How is that even possible?" Misaki asked as they walked through the stables near Crater Lake.**

"Uptight, isn't she?" Poseidon frowned.

"Well, most stables are unkempt, Poseidon." Aphrodite told him.

"Amen to that." Percy shivered at the memory of the job he performed for Geryon.

 **"Just plug your nose like I am," Zack said, his fingers firmly pinched around his nose. He looked at Naruto. "How are you not bothered by this? It's worse than the stink bombs Cameron of the Second Cohort uses in the war games."**

 **"Who do you think deals with most of the latrine duty?" Naruto grumbled. Upside to being the son of the god of the sea, he has control over water. Would be neat, if his power wasn't mostly abused by his cohort to clean the latrines.**

"So glad that never happened to me." Percy blanched.

"Yeah, just that one time you came to camp."

Percy looked at his girlfriend. "Oh, come on, you know that was an accident."

"Maybe…"

 **That, and he was much better with controlling quakes, not something he's proud of, but something that's more useful, in his opinion. Plus, there wasn't a lot of water near the Fields of Mars. Wasn't like he could make a tidal wave to wipe out the opposition. That would be useful.**

"Maybe we should plug up the stream." Dionysus mused.

"No." Poseidon told him, which caused the wine god to pout.

 **Misaki turned to him with her hand pinching her nose shut, giving him the best apologetic look she could muster. "You poor dear."**

 **Naruto let a smile cross his face at the nasal voice that came out as opposed to her usual regal one.**

Artemis snorted a laugh that earned her a glare from the love goddess.

 **"It's not so bad. I can't really smell anything that bad anymore."**

 **"Good for you," Zack said dryly. He pointed at the horse in the last pen. "You go talk to him and we'll wait outside."**

 **"Good idea, and be careful. Keep an eye out for the birdbrains," Naruto said, getting a nod from both Zack and Misaki. The two vacated the stables quickly while he walked down to the stable. The horse neighed at him and snorted on his approach. Naruto looked it over with a bit of awe. The horse was massive, easily larger than the few pegasi that hung around camp. Its build was like a Clydesdale Naruto had seen on those weird adult drink commercials on television, but its coat was a striking gold, almost like his hair, and the mane was a platinum shade of yellow.**

"Now that is one handsome horse." Poseidon praised.

"A bit meaty." Athena retorted.

 _ **Oh joy. Another filthy brat that wants to feed me sugar cubes and stroke my muzzle.**_

"I like this horse already." Mr. D beamed.

 **The voice was that of an older man, one who was wise but weary. Naruto furrowed his brow at the judgment.**

 **"Wow, you do know what they say about assumptions, right?" He asked.**

 **The horse blinked and turned his head.** _ **You...You can understand me?**_

 **"Yeah..." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. The bracer glinted in the moonlight and the large stallion straightened up.**

 _ **A son of Poseidon!**_

"Nope, I'm right here." Percy pointed to himself, getting a nudge from Annabeth as she rolled her eyes.

 **Another Greek? Weird. "Neptune."**

 **The horse seemed to ignore him as a light grew in his surprisingly dark eyes.** _ **I knew one would come, I knew! I told Xanthus to hold out, but that stubborn colt refused to listen to reason! Well, look who's "too optimistic" now, Xanthus!**_

"…Oh," Hera said as she recalled the name. She frowned lightly. "Him."

 **"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Naruto said with his hands up. "Who're you and who's Xanthus?"**

 **The stallion looked slightly embarrassed and dipped his head down.** _ **A thousand pardons, m'lord. It's been so long since I've been near the sea that I've forgotten its scent.**_ **The horse ducked its head down in a bow.** _ **I am Balius, son of Zephyrus and brother to Xanthus, the steed of Achilles.**_

"Oh joy, them." Apollo blanched. Yeah, Thetis still gave him dirty looks at times for helping Paris. As did Artemis.

 **"Achilles...You mean that dude with the foot problem?" Naruto smirked slightly in amusement. Sure, the guy was one of Greece's greatest heroes, but c'mon. He was beaten by an arrow to the foot?**

"It was his only weak spot." Percy pointed out.

"I still can't believe you had his curse," Jason said to Percy.

"Neither can I." The son of Poseidon admitted.

 **Balius snorted and shuffled.** _ **Yes, er, but he was still a hero and I'm proud to have been in his and his father's service for as long as I was. Enough of that, m'lord, it's been millennium since I've seen a demigod! Er, begging your pardon, m'lord, but I never got your name.**_

"He's so…respectful." Percy pouted. "Blackjack could learn a thing or two from him."

"Aw, but he loves his Boss." Piper teased. The son of the sea laughed in agreement.

 **"Sorry, I'm Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said. He brought his arm over his chest in a formal greeting. "Member of the Fifth Cohort, of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata."**

 _ **Fulminata? A Roman?**_ **Balius asked before he went silent and shook his head.** _ **It could be worse, I suppose. I could've never been found.**_

"That's rude," Frank said.

"Well, you guys never treated Neptune right." Poseidon pointed out.

"Point." The legacy of Poseidon conceded.

 **"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a frown.**

 **Balius' eyes widened.** _ **I meant no offense, M'lord! But you must understand the Roman's view on Lord Poseidon-er, Neptune and vice versa.**_

 **Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, I know their view." He shook the depressing memories off and his eyes met Balius' once more. "Whatever, so think you can do me a favor?"**

 _ **M'lord, if you can get me out of this blasted stable, I'll be at your beck and call whenever you need a ride. I'll follow you back to the Legion and breed off for a cavalry!**_

Hazel's eyes sparkled at the proposal. She loved her ponies after all.

"We could use some strong horses." Reyna openly admitted, they were limited to that regard.

 **Naruto scratched his chin. "We could use a few more stallions around...the Pegasi aren't as fertile as we'd like, but that's probably from Neptune."**

The Romans looked at the smirking Poseidon.

"Reap what you sow."

Athena looked conflicted to agree with her rival.

 _ **M'lord is very clever,**_ **Balius noted with a nod.** _ **A lack of respect to Lord Neptune would offend him. He is the father of all equine, our Lord, and as such can determine who does and who doesn't deserve stables full of Pegasi. Pray tell, M'lord, but why don't you have a steed already? Surely, even the Romans can see that a son of Neptune would do well with a mount.**_

"Because they Senate can be bias and spiteful." Jason sadly admitted, Reyna nodded in agreement.

 **"Stop calling me that," Naruto said. He did agree with Balius on the part about him having a horse or pegasi, and his cohort had even suggested it to the Praetors. The council had denied the request, though.**

 _ **Calling you what, M'lord?**_ **Balius tilted his head.**

 **"That! M'lord!" Naruto grimaced as he said it. "I'm just a legionnaire, not a high class citizen. Titles aren't really my thing."**

 **Balius neighed as though he were insulted.** _ **But-but you are a son of Lord Neptune, M'lord! I cannot, in good knowledge, speak of you so-so lowly!**_

"Oh man, a boot licker," Nico rolled his eyes.

"They're all respectful." Percy told him.

"Yeah, but this is like cranked to eleven."

 **"...Misaki's going to love you..." Naruto mumbled. He looked at a saddle and scratched his head. "Well, think you could carry three of us?"**

 **Balius ducked his head.** _ **Apologies, M'lord, but while I may be large, three may be against my limit.**_ **Balius perked up and neighed.** _ **But! If I could get out of this stable, I could find Xanthus and he could help us. Especially if he knew he'd be helping you, M'lord.**_

 **"Would you mind if I came with you?" Naruto asked warily. He didn't think that Balius would leave him hanging, but there was a slim possibility that the horse would run free. Which was understandable, being cooped up in a small stable had to suck.**

 **There was a reason the sea was open and spacious.**

"The sea cannot be contained." Percy and Poseidon grinned.

"I loath that saying," Zeus said, rubbing his eyes.

 **Balius perked up and stamped his hooves excitedly.** _ **You wish to accompany me? M'lord, I'm-I'd be honored!**_

 **Naruto let his shoulders slump and went to grab a saddle from the rack. "Balius, please, stop calling me that."**

 _ **I cannot, M'lord. Wait, not that saddle! There was a rather rude young man that rode with that saddle. I can't allow you to use that one.**_ **Balius snorted.** _ **It's beneath you.**_

"He's one of those types, the uber ass kissers." Ares blanched. He hated those types.

 **Naruto rolled his eyes and went to grab another saddle.**

 _ **Not that one either, M'lord. A pregnant woman's water broke on that one.**_

"Nothing wrong with that." Artemis frowned.

"Uh, yeah, there is." Apollo wrinkled his nose. God of medicine he may be, but that was still gross.

 **"...Okay, ew." Naruto moved down the line to another worn and torn saddle.**

 _ **M'lord, as a son of Neptune, you should not be forced to use a lowly saddle such as that!**_

 **"Oh for the love of Caesar, what saddle should I use then, Balius?" Naruto rounded on the horse with a look of annoyance on his face. Balius scanned the rack for several minutes before he snorted.**

 _ **None of these are good enough for you, M'lord.**_

"I can see him wearing glasses and acting like a secretary." Thalia snorted in amusement.

"Little business cards too." Piper laughed in agreement.

"Oh, he could have a suit!" Hazel giggled at the mental image with a clap.

 **"Of course not." Naruto rubbed his temples with his hands. That so figured. Again, there were a lot of things he loved about being the son of Neptune, but at the moment, talking to horses was not one of them.**

 _ **M'lord, if I could make a suggestion?**_ **Balius looked at him with respect and his head low.** _ **I know it's not my place, but might I suggest you ride without a saddle? Just until we can find Xanthus and a chariot? When we return to your camp, the finest of leathers could be used to make your saddle!**_

"…I do not see that happening." Reyna frowned, she felt sorry for Naruto at the prejudice he had to endure.

 **Naruto rolled his eyes. The day he got a regal saddle from any of Vulcan's children or legacies would be the day that he got promoted to Centurion. It wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But, he didn't want to risk angering the horse, so Naruto just nodded. "Alright, sure."**

"It's worth humoring them," Percy nodded.

"Yet you always have a stash of donuts for Blackjack." Annabeth pointed out while turning a page.

"It's just in case." Percy explained. Blackjack may be his friend, but he also had wings while Percy did not.

 **Balius' eyes gleamed excitedly and he ducked his head down.** _ **Thank you, M'lord.**_

 **"Don't mention it, Balius," Naruto said as he walked back to the pen. "So, how exactly are you trapped here?"**

 **Balius turned away, slightly ashamed.** _ **The rafters are too low for me to jump the gate, and before we were left here, Lord Neptune had ordered us into hiding from the Romans, so we could not show excessive strength or power. That was several centuries ago, around the time that silly mortal war was going on. The Courteous War? The Chivalry War? ...Blasted memory.**_

"Yes, couldn't let Greek horses fall into Roman hands." Poseidon nodded.

"More insult to injury." Athena agreed regrettably.

 _ **Apologies for the language, M'lord. This will nag at me until I get it right.**_

 **"Hey, don't worry about it," Naruto said. He lifted the lock on the pen that was just out of Balius' reach. The door swung open and Balius exited the pen with a grateful sigh. "So if you were in 'hiding', how did Xanthus escape?"**

 **Balius snorted as Naruto tried to get a good grip to mount the horse without hurting him.** _ **The lucky fool's pen was left open one night. He just ran. Didn't even bother to say goodbye or offer to let me out! Ungrateful...And after all that time I took returning him to a somewhat respectable intellect, too!**_

Poseidon shifted a bit. He still felt a bit guilty for striking the horse dumb, but it did go against Hera's orders.

 **"Respectable what?" Naruto asked with a frown, his hand on the top of Balius' shoulder to act as a grip. Balius turned his head and bit onto the back of Naruto's shirt. With a mighty lift, the son of Neptune found himself moved to Balius' back. "Whoa, warn someone next time, will you?"**

 _ **Sorry, M'lord.**_ **Balius apologized. He trotted to the door while Naruto adjusted himself on his back.** _ **But I had to restore Xanthus' mind. Before Achilles' demise, Xanthus was granted a boon by Juno, to speak to unworthy mortals.**_

"She just wanted to tattle on me," Apollo pouted as Hera sniffed at him.

"You were interfering where you need not have."

"And yet look at the both of you back in the hot spot." Hades pointed out dryly.

 _ **This goes against Divine Law, and Xanthus spoke to Achilles. Lord Neptune punished him by striking him dumb. Thankfully, I discovered the punishment wasn't meant to be permanent.**_

"Yeah, he whapped him with his trident." Ares snickered.

"I did not!" Poseidon protested sternly. He merely touched the horse!

 **"Oh, got'cha." Naruto nodded. He grabbed a portion of Balius' mane to steady himself and blinked in surprise. It was soft, softer than anything he'd ever felt before. He'd heard that horse manes were coarse like hay, but this felt more like fur than hair.**

 _ **Now, hold tightly, M'lord. I can smell Xanthus nearby. Fool must've gotten lost several times in these woods.**_ **Balius warned before he galloped. Naruto felt himself fly back from the force, but tightening his grip reassured him that he wouldn't be thrown off the divine horse. He heard Misaki and Zack call out to him, but didn't dare risk looking back. Naruto was sure if he did, his head would snap off.**

 **Balius' hooves sounded like Jupiter's thunder as they struck the ground.**

"He must have big hooves." Nico said.

"And you know what they say about big hooves." Leo snickered.

"...Dang it, Leo!" Piper glowered.

"Ha! You thought about it!"

"Not surprising." Hephaestus snorted.

 **The divine horse was also quick to warn Naruto to duck, lest he got injured by a branch or something.**

 **"So, how far do you think he is?" Naruto asked, two minutes and at least twenty miles since they left the stables.**

 _ **Just over this hill, M'lord!**_ **Balius returned as they came across a rather large hill. They passed over the hill and Balius slowed to a stop. Naruto lurched forward and grunted as his chest slammed into Balius' neck.**

 **"Ow. Why'd you stop?" Naruto asked as he sat up and rubbed his chest.**

 _ **Xanthus has been captured.**_ **Balius' words made Naruto look ahead to see a dark chestnut coated stallion with a splash of white across its back. The horse's mane was the stark opposite of Balius', a dark shade that matched the night sky. The captured horse was stuck in a cage to the side of a small camp where three shirtless men sat.**

 **Only these men lacked heads.**

"So they're dead?" Percy asked.

"Not exactly," Jason frowned. "I think I know what the foe is."

 **"Blemmyae." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the sight of the man-eating monsters. They weren't the most dangerous monsters to encounter, but they were still dangerous. Even if they were a head shorter than most men, literally.**

"That's like one of those football guys who paint their stomachs." Thalia frowned.

"Ew, they're usually chunky so it's super gross!" Aphrodite gagged.

 _ **I can hear them from here, M'lord. They plan to eat Xanthus! How barbaric!**_ **Balius snorted and stomped his hoof.** _ **Over my hung hide!**_

"Horse meat is terrible, gets between your teeth and it's stringy." Ares grunted.

"Gross," Percy turned a bit green at that remark while Poseidon threw a dirty glare the war god's way.

 **"Wait, hold on," Naruto said, keeping the stallion from charging in with a small tug. He scanned the camp for any signs of others or traps. He scowled when he saw a Blemmyae pick up something originally out of sight. "They have guns? Seriously?**

"We so need to start arming ourselves." Percy frowned. "Soon it's going to laser warfare!"

"Light sabers!" Leo beamed, he was so on it!

 **Pluto's pauldrons."**

 _ **M'lord, we must do something,**_ **Balius implored as he shifted uneasily on the hill.**

 **"I know, I know, give me a second to think." Naruto furrowed his brows together as he watched the Blemmyae lean back to laugh. Without heads, they couldn't easily turn to find something, so he and Balius could try to sneak in and rescue Xanthus. However, the three monsters were seated rather strategically, not one on a single log, nor blocking another's view.**

 **How could something without a brain be so smart?**

 **Balius let out a soft whinny.** _ **M'lord! Xanthus' has spotted me!**_

 **"Okay, good! That's something, right?" Naruto asked as he watched Xanthus start to move around.**

 _ **Not good. He's not that smart, M'lord. He'll reveal us to them if we don't do something soon,**_ **Balius snorted worriedly.**

"So we got a smart one and a Percy one. Got it."

"Really?" Percy asked Thalia.

"I think it's funny," the hunter shrugged.

 **"Damn." Naruto grimaced. He released his hold on Balius' mane and swung his leg over to the side in preparation to dismount. "Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to go down there and get Xanthus. You stay here and keep an eye out."**

 _ **What? M'lord you can't be serious!**_ **Balius gave him a disapproving look.**

"He was born serious!" Hermes declared.

 **"You're going to have to trust me." Naruto dropped as quietly as he could from the large stallion and crouched down low. The son of Neptune carefully made his way down the hill, trying not to draw attention to himself. Fortuna was on his side, as he made it to the edge of the Blemmyae's camp without issue. Naruto kept low, dropping to military crawl on his stomach just a bit further into the camp.**

Some of the demigods began humming the Mission Impossible theme.

 **This allowed him to hear what they were saying.**

 **"...hungry, Lash. When are we gonna eat the pony?" one Blemmyae asked.**

 **Another, Lash, turned his torso half-way to look at Xanthus. "Soon, Strill. We gotta let him starve a bit more. Tender that way."**

 **"Hopefully better than those people we had the other day," the last Blemmyae, whose back was to Naruto, said. He pulled out a rag from his pocket and coughed into it. The rag was then tossed over his shoulder and landed in front of the blond.**

 **It was a torn and bloody child's T-shirt, a girl's, with a white unicorn on the front.**

"…My little pony, my little pony…"

"Ares!" Artemis thundered at the war god, who laughed.

"Easy lil sis! Ah! My eye!" Apollo held his face where he was hit. "I need that to ogle people with!"

"Don't you mean shoot arrows?"

"That, too!"

 **Naruto closed his eyes and counted down from ten before he resumed crawling. He had to get just a bit closer to Xanthus. As he crawled along the ground, his eyes locked with Xanthus, who looked ready to release a loud joyful neigh. Naruto lifted a finger to his lips and held it there for a good long while until he was sure that the stallion wouldn't make a sound.**

"Just mentally tell him to shut his muzzle." Percy reasoned.

 **"C'mon, I'm so hungry, Lash! Just a leg?" Strill asked, making Naruto pause as he heard a log shift.**

 **"No, Strill! We gotta wait a couple more days. Then the horse will be dead on its feet and none of the meat will be ruined," Lash said. He growled at the whimpering Strill. "Unlike last time..."**

 **"I was so hungry!"**

"I know the feeling," Frank agreed while rubbing his stomach.

 **"Lash is right, shut up Strill. I'm still spitting out shotgun pellets."**

 **Naruto was now torn between being grateful for the Blemmyae's culinary tastes and furious with himself for letting these monsters live for so long.**

"We should really patrol outside the city at times." Reyna stated with a frown. It was their jobs to destroy these vile creatures after all and defend mankind.

"Agreed." Frank nodded.

 **Another break to calm himself and Naruto looked up at Xanthus when he whinnied.**

 **"Oh, shut up!" the nameless Blemmyae shouted. He apparently missed Naruto or didn't bother to turn, because he resumed complaining to Lash about the shotgun pellets in his last meal.**

 **Naruto** _ **really**_ **had to give a heap of thanks to Fortuna when he got back to Camp Jupiter. And make sure Zack gets a big commendation from Edward to the Praetors.**

"He's like a lucky rabbit's foot." Thalia snickered.

"So do you have to rub him on you or something?" Leo asked, which earned him a glare from Thalia for that remark.

 **Another glance at the distance between himself and Xanthus' cage made Naruto decide he was close enough. The son of Neptune put his hands on the ground and closed his eyes to concentrate. The ground was a lot more firm here, but sure enough Naruto felt the tingle in his head. His arms shook lightly and then the ground trembled.**

"That's handy, but I'm more a hurricane guy," Percy commented.

"A good thing too, who knows what you'd break if you could do that on command." Nico retorted.

"It's a very dangerous power," Hazel agreed.

 **Xanthus and Balius neighed loudly in protest while the three Blemmyae were tossed to the shaking ground. Naruto furrowed his brow and felt sweat bead up on his forehead. He needed to make the quake larger and last longer.**

 **"Earthquake!" one of the Blemmyae cried out. "The Sea God is angry!"**

"Yes, quake with fear!"

"You stole that from the Ronin Warriors." Apollo told Poseidon, getting the god to falter with an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's a good quote."

 **"No he's not! It's a Demigod!"**

 **Naruto felt the eyes of the monsters land on him and decided that the time for stealth had (thankfully) left. Naruto pushed himself up from the trembling ground and ran to the cage that held a disheveled stallion.**

 **"Xanthus, when I get this open, you run!" Naruto ordered firmly. Xanthus nodded, understanding, and watched as the blond took hold of the iron cage's front. As the tremor died down, Naruto heard the iron groan in protest of his actions. When it was over, Naruto felt portions of the cage give way.**

 **By the time the Blemmyae had readied their guns, Naruto had ripped off the side of the cage**

"Like it was one ply." Piper commented with amusement.

 **and moved so that Xanthus could flee.**

 **"No! My dinner!" Strill cried out in anguish.**

 **"We'll just have Demigod tonight, boys," Lash said as he lifted the rifle up to his left eye. Before he could fire, Naruto turned and tossed the cage at him, making him cry out before he was trapped beneath the metal.**

 **"You guys should've gotten takeout,"**

"Ugh, lame." Leo said with a thumbs down.

"I liked it." Hazel frowned, it was very fitting.

"Please, I could have done so much better. Like, 'you should've gone to Apple Bee's' or 'I came to deliver a pizza, with a topping of pain!'"

"Stop talking, Leo." Jason sighed.

 **Naruto said as he slammed his fists together and made his gauntlets appear. Strill and the other Blemmyae lifted their guns and fired at him.**

 **Naruto dropped to his knee and slammed his left fist into the dirt, causing another, larger and more violent tremor. The unnamed Blemmyae let out a yell as he fell to the ground, but Strill managed to keep his feet.**

 **"I'm gonna pump you full of lead, grind you up, and make soup out of you!" Strill declared as he primed his shotgun. A loud whinny made him turn towards a charging stallion that ran him down, knocking the gun from his hand in the process.**

"Now that was a take down." Hermes whistled.

"It was super effective!" Apollo gasped, getting a few laughs from the demigods.

 **The son of Neptune rose from the ground and rushed at the Blemmyae he had dropped. A hard kick knocked the rifle from his hand. He twisted his torso to face Naruto, dark eyes narrowed in hate and a scowl over his stomach.**

 **Infuriated sea green eyes matched the distaste the monster showed and a gauntlet covered fist was quickly plunged through the gap in the monster's eyes. Naruto's hand shot through the back of the Blemmyae, a strange pink organ that looked like a cross between a heart and a brain was in his grasp.**

"A two for one sale?" Ares chuckled.

"Not funny," Aphrodite huffed at him. She thought it was disgusting.

 **Naruto pulled his arm out and crushed the abomination in his hand, black liquid spraying over his face and the Blemmyae's body.**

 **"Tong!" The trapped Lash cried out. "Damn you, boy! I'll kill you! I'll** _ **eat**_ **you!"**

 _ **You will NOT harm my lord!**_ **An angry neigh made the monster look up as a heavy golden horseshoe came crashing down onto the headless man's face. Balius snorted angrily as Lash and Tong turned to dust, leaving behind small leather pendants with faces engraved on them.**

"That's an interesting spoil." Percy commented.

"Maybe for offerings, but I don't see why though." Annabeth said.

 **"Lash! Tong!" Strill wailed as he got to his feet. A chestnut coated stallion bucked back and kicked him hard, making him fly towards Naruto.**

 **"Die!" Naruto yelled as he drove his right fist into Strill's face. The force of his punch made the top half of the Blemmyae's chest rip off of the rest of the body.**

"Man, he just ripped them apart." Nico commented and remembered how scary super strength could be.

 **As Naruto wiped the black gunk off of his face, he watched the Blemmyae turn to dust, another pendant dropped with another face carved into the leather.**

 **Naruto looked up as Xanthus came over to him and inspected the blond closely. Naruto arched a brow and was caught completely off guard as the stallion suddenly dragged its tongue up the side of his face. He shuddered at the feeling, he didn't even know horses could do that!**

"Of course they can," Percy grimaced while he rubbed his cheek. Blackjack did that to him a few times when he got jelly filled donuts.

 _ **Thank you.**_ **Xanthus' voice sounded younger than Balius', but it was deeper. His eyes were also a bit duller than his brother's, but still stood out compared to a regular horse's.**

 **Naruto dragged his arm over his face with a grimace. "Don't mention it."**

 _ **Xanthus, that's no way to speak to our Lord's son.**_ **Balius chided his brother. Xanthus turned to him with a disinterested glance and then snorted. Balius' head shot back and he let out an affronted whinny.** _ **Who are you calling stuffy? I'm acting properly, you simple-minded foal! He's the son of Neptune!**_

"They got a cute little Yin-Yang thing going on." Hazel giggled at the sight.

 **Balius turned to Naruto with an apologetic look in his eyes.** _ **Forgive Xanthus' manners, M'lord. I'll try to get him to speak to you with the proper respect you deserve!**_

 **Xanthus snorted again and dipped his head down to pick up one of the pendants the Blemmyae had left behind. The stallion offered it to Naruto, who took it carefully from the horse's mouth. Naruto looked the pendant over before he frowned. What sort of reward is a leather pendant with a face on it?**

Percy nodded. "Right?"

 _ **Hm, quite hideous aren't they? No magic either. Perhaps they are meant to be offerings, M'lord.**_ **Balius suggested as he picked up the other two pendants. Naruto nodded silently in agreement before he pocketed the three pendants. He could worry about them later.**

 **First things first, though. "So...Xanthus, how do you feel about helping me on a quest?"**

 **"He's gorgeous!" Misaki cried as she wrapped her arms around Balius' neck and rubbed her cheek against his muzzle.**

"Girls love the ponies." Hazel nodded sagely.

"Of course they do." Percy grinned.

Poseidon was looking quite smug at the moment.

 **Naruto returned, this time on Xanthus' back much to Balius' protest, to his friends outside of the stables rather quickly. Xanthus might be slower than Balius mentally, but the two were tied when it came to speed. However, once they came to a stop and the two demigods realized they weren't under attack, the daughter of Venus took one glance at Balius and began to smother him with affection. "Who's a pretty pony? You are, yes you are!"**

"Yes he is." Hazel nodded, "Can I get a quest to find them?"

"I think Arion would be jealous." Frank dryly said.

"B-But they're so pretty!"

 **Balius' eye shifted over to Xanthus, whose tail swished in what appeared to be amusement, and narrowed.** _ **Silence, you buffoon!**_ **Balius looked pleadingly at the son of Neptune.** _ **M'lord, please tell her to stop rubbing against my face. It's unsettling.**_

 **"Misaki, let go of Balius." Naruto sighed as he dismounted Xanthus. He shook his head as she whined at him. "Please?"**

 **"Only because you asked so nicely," Misaki said with a pout as she released the stallion's neck.**

"But later…" Piper snickered. She was glad she wasn't super girly like that and had a horsey phase.

 **Balius shook his head and glared at Xanthus, who nickered once more.**

 _ **I am NOT a softy! How dare you accuse me of such a thing! You were there when I trampled the Trojans beneath my hooves!**_

"Ah, trampling," Ares sighed out. "We never get to do that anymore."

"With good reason. It's barbaric." Athena told him.

"Bah! Rules today are too uptight."

 _ **Er, apologies, M'lord.**_ **Balius ducked his head down towards Naruto.**

 **"Don't worry about it," Naruto said as he rubbed Balius' muzzle. He looked at Zack, who just walked out of the stables with a saddle slung over his shoulder and another in his hand. Xanthus, seeing the saddles, reared backed and neighed in protest, freezing the son of Fortuna in his place.**

 **Naruto held his hands up to the large stallion. "Whoa, easy, Xanthus! Easy!"**

 _ **Xanthus, control yourself! We are in the presence of Lord Neptune's son!**_ **Balius neighed at his brother. Xanthus settled back on the ground, his dull dark eyes locked warily on Zack.**

 **"...So, I take it he doesn't want a saddle on his back?" Zack asked after a moment.**

"Looks like they'll have to go bareback," Percy said. His words made many of the gods and all of his friends laugh at him – Leo, Apollo and Hermes especially – much to his confusion. "What? What'd I say?"

"Oh, Percy." Annabeth sighed. She loved him to bits, but he could be a bit slow on the up and up. Thankfully, Hazel seemed just as lost as he did.

 **Naruto snorted as he gently brushed his hand down Xanthus' muzzle to soothe him. "Yeah, something like that."**

 _ **Nor will I! Both of these saddles are highly unsuitable for a son of Lord Neptune, not to mention extremely uncomfortable.**_ **Balius huffed.** _ **M'lord, Xanthus and I are much more accustomed to chariots.**_

 **"Well have you seen one anywhere?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Seen what?" Misaki asked, giving Naruto a small pout. Clearly she was still a bit upset at not being able to pet Balius.**

"I would be, too." Hazel nodded in clear agreement.

 **"A chariot," Naruto said. The two Romans looked at him confused. Naruto shrugged as he gave Xanthus a light pat on the shoulder and gave Balius, who stood taller, a small smile. "These guys are Achilles' chariot pulling horses, the golden stallion is Balius." Balius took a step back to bow, which made Misaki giggle and clap in approval.**

"Such a regal pony," Thalia snickered.

"He has a way with words, or neighs in this case." Reyna smiled lightly.

 **Naruto rubbed Xanthus' shoulder. "And this excitable lug is Xanthus."**

 **"Wow, two divine horses that obey Neptune, what are the odds of that?" Zack asked with a chuckle. He dropped the saddles in his hands to the ground and rubbed his chin. "We could go back to the Ranger Station and ask if they have a chariot."**

"Because that'll go over real well." Hermes rolled his eyes.

 **Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "We didn't exactly leave with a good impression on them, even if they were Legionnaires."**

 **"I wouldn't be surprised if Joan didn't want anything to do with the Legion," Misaki said with a frown.**

 **Zack scratched the side of his head. "Well...then maybe we don't ask."**

"I like the way this kids thinks," the god of thieves smiled.

"That does mean he's going to rob your kids." Apollo innocently pointed out.

"…Dick."

 **"I can't believe we stole this piece of crap! There was a nicer one right next to it!" Zack groaned as Naruto steered the chariot away from the ranger station. He looked down at the rickety wheel that was latched onto the side next to him. One good bump looked like it could knock the whole axel off.**

"Wow, this reminds me of Cabin twelve's chariot," Percy said.

"Hey!" The god of travelers glared at the boy for that remark.

Even if it was true.

 **"I'm with Zachary on this one, Naruto," Misaki said with a grunt as she hung onto Naruto's arm. She was trying not to get hooked by the nail that stuck out from the edge of the chariot.**

"Yes, clearly for that reason." Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Such a smart girl." Aphrodite nodded, approving of the action.

 **It was old and the paint was faded. The bronze on it looked like it was ready to give out at any time.**

 **"By the time you saw the other one, I had already hooked Xanthus up." Naruto rolled his eyes at their whining. And they weren't the only ones doing that.**

 _ **Oh, I've shamed Lord Neptune! Shamed him!**_ **Balius wailed as he galloped next to his brother. Naruto groaned and Xanthus snorted as the golden stallion continued to moan.** _ **Not only making his son steal from fellow Romans, but also use a chariot below his worth?! I should be punished severely!**_

"Well, he is the son of a wind god." Poseidon chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeus glared.

"He's melodramatic like the sky."

"Ha! Funny coming from the moody sea!"

"Now you two, no fighting." Hestia chided them softly, which made her brothers stop.

 _ **Eyup.**_ **Xanthus agreed with mirth in his voice.**

 **Balius sent a glare to his brother, looking back ahead at the road when Naruto pulled on his reign slightly.** _ **Oh, you shut up. This is mostly your fault! Being so fussy when Zachary wanted to hitch a ride! You should be grateful that M'lord was so generous to give you the chance!**_

 **"Balius, focus on the road." Naruto sighed. Xanthus may not be the brightest of divine equine, but he sure knew how to rile up his brother. Naruto looked over at Zack. "You've got the map, lead the way Zack."**

 **Zack looked up at the sky. "Fortuna, if you can hear me, please don't let this wreck in the making fall apart on us."**

"That a tall order I think." Hephaestus grunted.

 **He pulled the map out of his back pocket and looked at it. "We need to take a left in a mile if we want to get to Columbia River."**

 **"Is there a bridge we can take to Lois Island?" Naruto asked.**

 **Zack groaned as he looked at the map. "No." They all let out grunts as the chariot hit a pit. "Di immortales! Watch where you're driving, Naruto!"**

"I don't have my license yet!" Percy cried out with a laugh.

"Neither do I and I can drive better." Thalia scoffed.

"Um, like you drove the sun?"

"I can drive a real car! Not a flying ball of gas!"

Apollo gave Artemis, who was grinning, a dirty look. "That is so low."

"You didn't deny that it was the truth."

 **"I am, you focus on giving directions!" Naruto returned with a glare. He turned to the two stallions in front of him. "Guys, can you pick up the pace a little bit?"**

 **Xanthus leaned forward slightly, forcing Balius to do the same.** _ **Eyup.**_

 _ **Yes, M'lord! Many apologies for the bump, M'lord! Xanthus, watch the road! If the chariot falls apart on Lord Naruto then I will blame you for it!**_ **Balius barked at his brother. He whinnied when Xanthus flicked his tail to slap his flank.** _ **You uncouth, intolerable...buffoon! That was highly uncalled for!**_

"He just got pony slapped, the stain on his honor. Oh, the horror," Nico said dryly.

"Actually, that is highly offensive for horses." Poseidon explained.

 _ **Funny.**_ **Xanthus retorted simply, making Naruto chuckle. He tightened his grip on the reigns and pulled back on Balius to keep him from taking his eyes off the road. The odd curses that escaped Balius' mouth made Naruto remember that the horses were originally Greek. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't understand everything the twin stallions could say.**

"Must be all Greek to him." Jason smirked and got some laughs.

"Oh sure, if he said something like that..." Percy brooded.

 **Xanthus suddenly smacked Balius' flank again with his tail.** _ **Children.**_

 _ **Yes...Yes, you're right, Xanthus. I apologize for my words, M'lord. I'm nothing like Mars' stallions.**_ **Balius sounded ashamed of himself.**

 **"It's okay, Balius. Not like I understood it anyway," Naruto mumbled in a bit of disappointment. He shook himself out of it and cracked the reigns. "Come on, guys! Show me why Neptune gave you to Achilles!"**

 **He had a dagger to find.**

"That he does, who's next?" the blond daughter of wisdom asked.

"I'll take it." Reyna said.

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_ **.**

 **Reading: Son of the Earthshaker**

 **VII**

Reyna cleared her throat and turned the page.

 **The road to the coast of the Columbia River was not generous to the chariot. Naruto paid it no heed, but the constant swears from Zack started to grate on his nerves. The way Misaki pressed herself against him throughout the trip didn't help either. It made some...** _ **weird**_ **feelings appear and frankly, had Naruto not been very distracted by the task at hand, he would've been asking Zack about them.**

"Daddy, what's an erection?" Apollo asked in a high voice.

"Apollo!" Artemis glared as most of the guys snickered at the joke.

Zeus glared at Apollo, for the sun god was facing his way. What was really annoying was that Apollo really _had_ asked that question a long, _long_ time ago.

 **After, of course, he made the son of Fortuna shut up.**

 _ **There it is, M'lord!**_ **Balius' voice snapped Naruto out his thoughts. The two stallions started to slow as their hoofs left dirt and touched down onto the sand. The air was cold, but the sounds of the crashing waves were oddly soothing.**

 **"Finally!" Zack leapt from the chariot and fell to the ground on his knees. He lifted his arms up and crowed to the sky. "Sweet relief! Oh, Fortuna, thank you! Thank you, kind gods!"**

"You're welcome," the gods answered back.

 _ **Drama queen.**_ **Xanthus snorted as he tested the sand with his hoof.** _ **Troy.**_

 _ **Yes, Xanthus. Much like the beaches of Troy,**_ **Balius nodded to his brother. He looked around.** _ **Far less...debauchery and war going on, though.**_

"Whoo!" Ares cheered.

"Good times." Apollo nodded in agreement.

 **Naruto let the reigns fall and Misaki continued to hold onto his arm after they got off of the chariot. Naruto gave her a bewildered look. "Uh, Misaki? You can let go of my arm now."**

 **"Must I?" Misaki asked with a small frown.**

"I say let her snuggle more." Aphrodite protested.

"Yes, let the quest go on longer, by all means." Artemis rolled her eyes.

 **"...Yeah, it's starting to feel really weird." Naruto partially admitted. His arm was feeling numb around where Misaki was hugging it, and that weird tingling had started to come back. Misaki almost reluctantly let go of his arm and took a step or two away.**

 **Content, Naruto turned and looked at Zack. "Hey, knock it off. Where's Lois Island?"**

 **Zack huffed and got to his feet. He dusted the sand off of his jeans. "Yeah, sure. How are you not rattled by the chariot of damnation?"**

"He's got _no_ idea how wrong he is." Percy chuckled.

"Big time," Annabeth said with a grimace.

 _ **How rude!**_ **Balius neighed in offense.** _ **It may not have been the proper form of transport for M'lord, but we traveled smoothly! That, and M'lord has the same skill Patroclus did!**_

"Who?" Leo asked with a confused look.

"Achilles' friend." Annabeth told him.

"His really _good_ friend." Aphrodite giggled.

"That's just a rumor that Apollo and the Trojans started," Hermes said.

"But it's _so_ juicy!"

 _ **Natural.**_ **Xanthus nodded in agreement.**

 **"Thanks guys," Naruto said with a smile. He turned to Zack. "So where is it?"**

 **"There." Zack pointed to the left, across the moving water to the fog covered land in the distance. The beaches were barely visible, and the trees that adorned the land mass were just as difficult to make out. Naruto looked back at Zack, who was looking at his map. "Maybe five, ten miles to the island?"**

 **"How are we supposed to get there?" Misaki asked. She walked closer to the edge of the beach and peered out with her hand covering her eyes from the slowly rising sun. "There's no natural land bridge and if we did need to find a boat, it would set us back a few hours."**

 **"Not to mention that'd mean we'd have to ride that** _ **thing**_ **again." Zack glared at the chariot.**

 **Misaki shivered. "Yeah, that's not happening."**

 **They looked to Naruto, who looked between them. Misaki gave him a sweet smile that was slowly growing**

"That's a scary smile," Jason shivered and looked at Piper. "Please don't ever do that."

"I'll try," Piper said with a small growing smile.

"Please!"

 **while Zack smirked. "What?"**

 **"Well, it is a large body of water and you're a son of Neptune." Zack chuckled.**

"Get to work, that's an order!" Leo barked out.

 **Naruto looked at him for a moment before it clicked. "What, you want me to swim? I've never swam that far! And, I'm-I'm an Earthshaker! I'm not good with the whole water thing!"**

"…Oh, that's just embarrassing." Percy palmed his face while everyone laughed.

"He didn't just say that." Poseidon grimaced. He rubbed his temples.

"Does the baby water brat need some water wings?" Ares asked snidely.

"No, but you will in a minute." Poseidon growled while he glared heatedly at the war god.

 **Misaki walked over to him oddly, her hips swished from one side to the other. The advance had Naruto on the retreat until he nearly fell over, but by then Misaki had closed a significant amount of distance between them. She put a finger on his chest and gave him a sweet smile, the stars in her eyes sparkled oddly. Her finger began to make circles slowly.**

"…And she's _twelve_ , right?" Frank asked cautiously.

"My baby's got the moves." The love goddess tittered.

"Moves like Jagger~" Apollo sang out.

 **"Naruto..." Her smile became far too sweet. Naruto felt a sudden rush of fear go through him, like when he'd stepped on an active land mine in a war game when he was seven. Misaki's hand gripped the front of his shirt and she pulled him closer. "Either you start swimming, or we see how well you do at** _ **digging**_ **your way under the water."**

"Evil Annabeth."

"Stop that, Leo!" The blonde glowered at the chuckling son of fire.

"Nope. She's got him whipped like you do _your_ water boy."

Percy pouted. He wasn't whipped…Right?

 **"...Right, yeah, swimming. I'm gonna go swimming. Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Naruto nodded frantically, which made Misaki's smile become a normal form of sweet. Misaki released his shirt and patted him with both hands on the shoulders.**

 **"Good boy. Now, take this off..." Misaki started to tug at his Camp Jupiter shirt.**

 **"Why?" Naruto asked.**

"So she can get in your pants," Hermes pointed out.

"Far too soon! She just wants to see the candy under the wrapper." Aphrodite huffed. Her girls weren't _that_ forward. Mostly. There were those rare few.

 **Misaki gave him a look. "So you don't get hypothermia by wearing all those clothes."**

 **"But I can will myself dry." Naruto frowned in confusion. That was a well-known power of his.**

 **Zack chuckled. "He's got a point, Misaki."**

 **Misaki's cheeks puffed up as she pouted. "You're not helping, Zachary."**

"Yes, he is not!" The love goddess frowned. "He should watch himself."

"Hey, he's an honorary legacy. Leave him be." Hermes frowned.

 **"You're holding him back,** _ **Princess**_ **," Zack said with a knowing look. His eye looked over at Naruto. "Go on, water boy. Get started on swimming."**

 **Misaki continued to pout as Naruto slipped away from her and quickly trudged over to the edge of the water.**

 **He waded into the Columbia River, willing it from not dowsing him, until he was waist deep in it. Then, Naruto dove, propelling himself through the water faster than he had ever moved on land. He couldn't feel it, but at the same time he knew the water was cold. Instinctually, most likely. On the bright side, that weird feeling Misaki had made start to churn around in his gut had finally went away as he imagined how cold it was.**

"A cold shower will do that to you." Jason chuckled.

"Speaking from experience, Jason?" Piper asked slyly.

"…No."

"Good, because I _so_ don't want to hear about that." Thalia grunted.

 **Many fish had come near him, brushing alongside him with ease. Naruto was pleasantly surprised when he realized that fish brains were too small for coherent thought. Animals of instinct, it seemed.**

"It says a lot about their creator." Athena couldn't resist the dig to her rival.

"Says the bird brain." Poseidon shot back, earning a frown from the goddess.

 **That train of thought made Naruto remember that somewhere there was a monster under these waters. A monster that had killed a Roman. It made him pause and suspend himself in the ocean, looking around for any sight of the Cetus. That made another thought come to the forethought of Naruto's mind: what exactly did the Cetus look like?**

"They tend to come in many different shapes and sizes," Poseidon confessed.

 **Naruto shook his head. He didn't have time to worry about it. He didn't even** _ **need**_ **to worry about the Cetus. All he needed to do was get Scaevola's Dagger and go back to Camp Jupiter.**

"A fetch quest is never that easy," Percy said. "I had experience with that. Big time."

"Still got detoured in Vegas." Ares snickered.

"And whupped your butt!"

"You wanna try again!?"

"Anytime!"

"NO!" Poseidon and Zeus barked.

 **The whiskered son of Neptune went back to swimming, his goal firmly in his mind.**

 **The bottom of the river started to rise closer and Naruto swam up. He broke the surface easily and took in a soft breath of the fresh air that surrounded him. Naruto noted that the beach was nice and clean, and the fog that surrounded the beach added to the ambiance. There was a faint yell and Naruto turned around to see who he assumed to be Misaki waving her arms wildly.**

"Sharks in the water!" Leo cried out.

"That's such an overreaction." Poseidon frowned. "Do you know how many sharks were killed because of that movie?"

"...A lot?" Leo ventured. Poseidon nodded.

"A lot."

" _Jaws_ was awesome." Ares grinned.

 **Naruto lifted one arm to wave back and then walked up onto the beach, completely dry.**

 **"If I were a dagger, where would I be?" Naruto asked himself. With no real leads, Naruto resigned himself to wander along the beach. The waves crashed again nearby and the son of Neptune let out a small groan as his hands slipped into his pockets. "This is going to take forever."**

 **"It's been hours," Misaki said with a small pout as she sat on the beach, her shoes and socks set in the** _ **abomination**_ **that was called a chariot while the waves crashed over her feet. She crossed her arms over her knees and rested her chin on them. "And I didn't get to see him wet."**

"That's what she said!"

"Leo!" Piper, Thalia, and Artemis glared at the snickering Latino.

"Good response time." Ares praised with a nod.

 **"How old are you again?" Zack asked as he looked up from cleaning his crossbow.**

 **"Old enough." Misaki smiled lightly. She suddenly giggled. "Besides, Venus has been sending me signs, confirming some questions I have."**

"Do I like boys? Check~!" Aphrodite smiled brightly. She sighed. "Oh, this is going to be a beautiful match!"

 **"Signs? ...I don't think I want to know," Zack said as he looked back at his crossbow. Xanthus whinnied and he glanced over at the two stallions, who he had long since released from the chariot. The chestnut colored stallion did** _ **not**_ **like him, and frankly, the feeling was mutual.**

 **Misaki played with a lock of her hair, her golden starry eyes staring off into the distance. "Do you think it's a Neptune thing?"**

"The stupidity? Yes." Athena nodded, getting a glower from Poseidon.

 **Zack dropped his crossbow slightly and looked up dryly. "Seriously? Do I want to know what you're talking about?"**

 **"The obliviousness," Misaki said with a roll of her eyes. "Mind in the gutter much?"**

"Well, he _is_ a teenage guy." Thalia rolled her eyes.

 **"I'm seventeen. I'm supposed to be thinking about these things." Zack retorted swiftly.**

"See?" Thalia scoffed. "Guys are so predictable."

"Tell me about it." Annabeth sighed and gave the sheepish Percy an amused look.

 **"You're, what? Twelve?"**

 **"Twelve and eight months, actually," Misaki said haughtily. Zack rolled his eye and she turned to look at him. "But seriously, do you think it's from Neptune?"**

 **"...You're going to ask me that while we're sitting on a beach next to two divine horses?" Zack arched a brow, his lone eye asking her silently if she was sane.**

 **Misaki nodded nonchalantly. "Yes."**

"Now answer the girl's question." Aphrodite demanded eagerly.

 **"Just checking." Zack sighed. "Honestly? No. It's just him." He chuckled and went back to cleaning his crossbow. "You've got your work cut out for you. Especially if you want to monopolize him. Word's been spreading around the older legionnaires, some other girls are starting to notice Naruto, you know, since he's been training twenty-four seven after the thing with the quake."**

"Girls like muscles." Frank smirked and winked at Hazel, who gave a flushing smile.

 **Misaki sighed irritably and looked back out to the water. "I was afraid you'd say that."**

 **She pursed her lips together and frowned at the thought of some of the other girls trying to sink their claws into Naruto. That just wouldn't do, she had seen him first. She'd made her claim known, but apparently not as well as she'd thought. A calculative gleam appeared in her eye and a wry smile spread across her face. She had a few ideas on how to deal with this revelation.**

"Evil. Annabeth."

"…I will kill you, Leo. You will _not_ see it coming. This I swear."

 **Those thoughts left her as Naruto walked up the beach a ways down, but to her disappoint he was completely dry. Misaki pouted slightly and got to her feet as he walked back over to them. He gave them one of his large carefree grins that stretched up to his sea green eyes, making them twinkle beautifully and reached behind him.**

"Is that what you see, Annie?" Thalia smirked, getting a small flush from her friend.

"None of your business."

The response made Thalia chuckle in amusement.

 **"So guess what I found stuck in a stone not too far from the beach?" Naruto asked as he brought his arm forward. In his grasp was a pugio, a dagger, with a highly decorated sheath. Rubies, diamonds and gold decorated the black leather. It was about ten inches long, perhaps one and a quarter or one and a half inches wide. Naruto carefully unsheathed the pugio, revealing a bronze dagger with Latin inscribed on the hilt.**

The Romans looked at it in awe, but Leo popped their bubble.

"Did he just say he 'pulled it from a stone'?" the mechanic asked.

"…Oh, man," Percy said with a grimace. "This isn't going to end well."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Nico deadpanned.

 **"** _ **For the loyalty and bravery displayed in the face of death, I bequeath this dagger to Gaius Marcus Scaevola,**_ **" Zack read softly, translating as he did. He held his hand out. "May I?"**

 **"Here," Naruto said as he handed the pugio over gently. As Zack inspected the dagger, Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "...I found the, um, last owner."**

 **Misaki put a hand on his arm in support. "Are you okay?"**

 **"Yeah...I buried him and put some gold down for the passage. Asked Pluto to forgive him for the late...arrival." Naruto swallowed. "The ground rumbled after I took the dagger, so I think he...heard me."**

"Wasn't me," Hades said with a quirked lip.

 **Zack looked up. "The ground rumbled after you picked the dagger up?"**

 **"Yeah...Can, we go now?"**

 **Zack sheathed the dagger and handed it back to Naruto. As Naruto bound the dagger to his belt, urgency reflected in Zack's eye and he took a calm breath. "Yes. Leaving now would be for the best."**

 **The ground rumbled again and about a mile off the coast, the water began to bubble.**

"He pulled an Indiana Jones." Leo shook his head. "Should've done the swap."

"With what? A stick?" Annabeth scoffed. "The chances of him finding the right dimensions were about as high as Harrison Ford's quick swap working in the first place."

"Yeah, but, that was great suspense!" Leo protested.

"Whatever."

 **The three legionnaires turned and took notice of a large mass of dark scales that started to break the surface.**

 **"I have a bad feeling about that." Zack swallowed.**

"Obviously." Reyna rolled her eyes before she continued on.

 **Misaki shook her head. "That doesn't look like a whale."**

"There she blows! The white whale!"

"Hm, I wonder if there really is a white whale..." Percy mumbled.

Poseidon chuckled. "Perhaps."

 **"...We need to hook Balius and Xanthus back up. Now," Naruto said. Zack and Misaki nodded in agreement before the three of them ran over to the divine stallions.**

 _ **M'lord! Did you accomplish your mission?**_ **Balius asked with a smile in his eyes.**

 **Naruto grabbed the harness of the chariot and tossed it over Balius' back. "Yeah, we got Scaevola's dagger, but we need to go."**

 _ **Are you all right, M'lord?**_

"No, we're about to have a big boss battle!" Apollo wailed.

"But we don't have health potions!" Hermes gasped.

"No!" Apollo wailed. "My loot! All my glorious, glorious loot!"

"Oh grow up!" Artemis snapped at them for their immaturity. The two gods just laughed.

 **"Balius, look over there and tell me what you see!" Naruto said, pointing at the dark scales slowly getting closer.**

 **Balius followed his finger and whinnied.** _ **My word! Yes, post haste we shall leave! Xanthus, stop fussing with Sir Zachary and allow him to hook you up! Lord Naruto is in danger!**_

 **"Oh, Jupiter's beard, don't call me 'lord'!" Naruto groaned as he tightened the harness around Balius. He looked at the still slightly fussing Xanthus and frowned at him. "Xanthus! Behave!"**

 **The horse snorted in distaste as Zack put the harness on him. Zack grimaced in return. "You know, this isn't exactly my choice of arrangement either."**

 **"Oh, boys! Boys!" Misaki called as she ran back from putting her shoes and socks back on. "It's getting closer!"**

Ares started to hum the jaws theme, and soon, everyone was joining in except for a brooding Poseidon.

"Stupid Spielberg..." The sea god huffed.

 **Xanthus looked beyond the girl and at the mass of scales in the distance. He reared back and whinnied in fear, making Zack back away.**

 **"I didn't do anything!" he said.**

 _ **CETUS!**_ **Naruto winced at the volume Xanthus yelled at.**

"Dumb and quiet's got a set of lungs." Nico whistled.

 **He nodded at Zack to finish up Balius while he calmed the younger stallion. He snorted and shifted uneasily in the sand, making it difficult for Naruto to put the harness on.**

 **"Easy, easy buddy. Just let me get this on so we can go," Naruto softly.**

 **"Um, Naruto? It's, it's almost on the beach!" Misaki cried in worry.**

 **"I know!"**

 **Zack suddenly ran away from the golden stallion and pulled his crossbow from his back. He looked over his shoulder as he primed a bolt tipped with Imperial Gold. "Get them hooked up, I'll try to buy us some time!"**

"Don't be a hero!" Leo cried out. "You don't have the extra life hack!"

"You shouldn't have _had_ that stupid hack." Hades grumbled.

 **"Don't do anything stupid!" Naruto shouted back as he tightened the harness around Xanthus. "Misaki, fix Balius' harness. It's too loose."**

 **"Um, yeah...how do I do that?" Misaki asked sheepishly.**

"…What?" the Romans asked flatly while Reyna paused to rub her head. Percy even went as far as to palm himself in the face.

"That was basic training!" Frank groaned.

"So embarrassing." Hazel groaned.

 **Naruto looked at her over Xanthus' back with disbelief on his face. "How? It's required by** _ **all**_ **cohorts to learn how to hook up a chariot for the annual races!"**

 **Misaki giggled weakly. "About that...I** _ **might've**_ **...skipped...out?"**

"…Come again?" Reyna frowned at the words on the page. "How'd she manage that?

 **"Seriously?" Naruto asked flatly.**

 **"The stables were smelly!"**

"I agree." Aphrodite nodded sagely.

"And now it bites her in the rear," Athena scathingly noted.

"...Drat!"

 _ **...Frankly, M'lord, you can't blame a child of Venus for wanting to be clean. Why, I remember Julius absolutely refusing to go anywhere near the stables, preferring to be on polishing duty as punishment.**_ **Balius defended the girl.**

"Julius was such a good boy," Aphrodite smiled fondly.

"Shame about how it all fell apart for him." Dionysus chuckled.

 **"Balius, do you want us to die?"**

 _ **W-what? No! Never, M'lord!**_

 **"Then shut up!"**

"Yeah, shut up, Mr. Ed."

"Don't be mean to the horses!" Hazel glared at Nico.

Nico held his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Relax, I was just making a joke."

"Outdated one, but gosh darn it does that makes sense." Leo chuckled.

"Zing." Thalia smirked.

 **Balius hung his head slightly.** _ **Sorry, M'lord.**_

 **Naruto shook his head and finished adjusting Xanthus' harness. He went over to Balius, giving Misaki a small frown that made her cringe, and then fixed Balius' harness.**

"Double drat." Aphrodite clicked her tongue. "That made my baby lose some points."

 **At the sound of a loud roar and an explosion of water being parted. Naruto turned around to call Zack back. He looked just in time to see a massive four-fingered, clawed and scaled hand slam down near the son of Fortuna.**

 **Naruto followed the arm up, up, and up to the top of the scaled head that was easily seventy feet off the ground. It looked like a horribly evil monkey, with fins on either side of its head. The eyes were white, without pupils, and its mouth was contorted in a snarl that revealed layers of sharp yellow teeth. Four massive, scaled arms sprouted from its torso and a powerful build led down to a large serpent-like body that disappeared into the water. The underside of its arms and clawed hands were suckled, like an octopus' tentacles.**

"…He's got to fight _that_?" Piper asked with a dropped jaw.

"I could take it." Percy huffed with a determined frown.

"Sure you could." Annabeth teased.

"What? It's in water. Unlike Naruto, that's my turf."

 **It was truly a terrifying creature.**

"More like fu-ugly." Leo grimaced.

 **"GO!" Zack cried out as he loaded another bolt and took a shot that made the Cetus bellow. He dove away from another fist that would easily crush him. He primed another bolt and fired, striking the Cetus in the cheek. "RUN! GO! I'LL CATCH UP!"**

"I can guess where this was going." Nico frowned. "And it wasn't going to be good."

 _ **We should listen to him, M'lord.**_ **Balius flinched as two hard sea green eyes turned to him. The rage that swirled in those eyes made the immortal stallion shudder. This was certainly a son of the sea god.**

 **"We all go home or** _ **nobody**_ **goes home," Naruto said firmly, quoting one of his favorite movies shown to him by his mother. Sgt. Slaughter was so awesome.**

"Sir, yes sir!" Apollo saluted eagerly along with Ares.

"Ah Slaughter. I love that son of a bitch," the war god grinned. "His act during the Gulf...The best."

"Ares, watch your language," Hestia frowned.

 **Almost as cool as Optimus Prime.** _ **Almost**_ **.**

"Prime for the win." Jason nodded in agreement. He looked around in confusion. "What? He's awesome."

 **Naruto brought his fists together and let the gauntlets appear, he turned to Misaki. "Get ready to leave once we come back."**

 **Misaki nodded, muted by the determination that came off of Naruto in waves. Convinced that she would listen to his orders, Naruto turned and ran towards Zack. He wouldn't lose anyone on this quest. Not Misaki, not Zack, not Balius and not Xanthus! They had the dagger, they could go back to camp and reap the spoils.**

"Fame and fortune!" Apollo cheered.

"And a celebration feast." Reyna added.

"That means a party..." Dionysus perked up.

"No." Zeus drawled.

"Bacchus isn't punished...Is he?"

 **Naruto pumped his arms and legs harder, trying to run faster as he watched Zack get cornered by the Cetus' hands. The sky started to darken overhead. Zack kept his crossbow aimed at the monster, bolts fired as fast as he could load them.**

"The time to prepare the shots sucks." Ares pointed out.

"Should just use a traditional bow," Artemis said with a huff.

"Bah, just stab the stupid thing." Ares huffed.

 **The Cetus bellowed and brought its upper arms up, the hands clenched tightly into fists. They came down in almost slow motion, and Zack never let up on his defense.**

 **Naruto felt and heard himself cry out Zack's name. It was weird, watching someone he could call his older brother die. Naruto didn't take in every detail of the scene, but at the same time it was like he saw every moment. Like it was a frame by frame showing of Zack's body being engulfed by the Cetus' fists.**

All the demigods looked down. This was the risk of being one of them, they were all aware of it. Though, it still hurt to see it.

 **Naruto felt a burning anger – a fury – build up inside him as the Cetus' hands lifted and turned to him.**

 **The Cetus roared at him.**

 **Naruto roared back.**

"Yeah…that berserker button just flipped." Leo winced.

 **The sky responded with a loud boom as rain began to fall.**

Zeus frowned. "I didn't do that."

"Perhaps his Atmokinesis kicked in with his anger." Poseidon piped up innocently.

"That better be the case," the lightning god said sternly.

 **The son of Neptune ran at the monster, rage and bloodlust in his eyes. He was going to make it suffer. Punish it. Make the Cetus wish it hadn't been born. These thoughts shot through his mind at a rapid speed, but overall each outcome of the plans that passed by were the same: Naruto was going to kill the Cetus.**

"All rationality out the window…yes." Ares grinned, finally!

 **Naruto was numb to his actions, and what happened next went by in a blur. He vaguely remembered suddenly being off the ground and rapidly approaching the Cetus with his fist brought back. Either he or the Cetus roared, or maybe both did, but Naruto remembered that his fist collided with a massive canine, easily twice his size. The Cetus' head reared back and the tooth fell to the ground, Naruto not far behind it.**

"I'm here to remove your cavities…of doom!"

"Leo, enough," Piper said.

Leo slouched. "Yeah, hard to be funny here. Sorry."

"It's okay."

 **He recalled a small jolt of pain that went through his legs, and the slight sting in his eyes from the cloud of sand his landing made. Naruto remembered being on the move. He avoided strikes and delivered his own to the Cetus' hands, breaking them when their fists collided. The Cetus healed remarkably fast, most likely due to the element they shared in common, and grew angrier with each miss. Naruto didn't really care how mad he made the monster. It wouldn't measure up to what Naruto felt.**

 **It was beyond rage, an indescribable fury. Naruto remembered the burning of his blood, the intensity of the waves seemed to respond to it. He had tunnel vision and at the end of the tunnel were two things: The Cetus, dead on its back, and himself, standing tall and the cause of the former's position.**

"Oh come on, tell us in details!" Ares whined.

"He killed it, that's all." Poseidon told him.

"Tch, boring."

 **The only thing Naruto remembered clearly were the moments that lead up to the end of the fight. The Cetus had tried to corner him like it had Zack, but Naruto refused to let that happen. He forced the Cetus to back off, to the point it had to fall to its arms in an effort to support itself. The son of Neptune grabbed the fallen canine he had knocked out of the Cetus' mouth and picked it up over his head. The tooth was thrown and imbedded itself in the right eye.**

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Ares cheered.

"Brutal, but effective." Frank nodded in agreement.

 **While the Cetus tried to cover it and support itself off the beach, Naruto didn't relent. He pried a hand away and began to hammer away at the tooth with his fists, driving it further and further into the skull. By the time Naruto realized the Cetus had already disintegrated, he had pounded the canine tooth deep into the ground, to the point he couldn't pull it out if he tried.**

"Revenge is blind brings a whole new meaning," Thalia said.

"Tell that to Nemesis." Percy told her, remembering Ethan.

 **It was around this time that Naruto came out of his rage induced fight, and the rain began to stop. Droplets continued to fall even after the rainfall ended.**

 **It was at that moment Naruto realized he was crying.**

 **Naruto stayed on his knees, his fists pressed against the sand. He ducked his head down as he let it all sink in.**

 **He found Scaevola's Dagger.**

 **He just killed the Cetus.**

 **He let Zack die.**

"That's horrible," Hazel said in a quiet voice. Everything was going so well…and poof. A life lost.

 **Naruto took in a shuddering breath as he came to terms with all of it, well, mostly the last one. Zack was dead. The first of the Cohort to show unwavering support, the first friend he made outside of Jason...**

 **Jason.**

 **How would he react? Zack was as much Jason's brother as he was Naruto's. Jason would blame him for what happened. Naruto didn't doubt it for a second.**

"I wouldn't." Jason said firmly. He was a touch sad that he and Naruto were still quarrelling in this other dimension.

 **After all, he was too slow to get Zack out. They had plenty of time and the Cetus moved slower on land than in the water.**

 **"Naruto?" Naruto stiffened at Misaki's shaken voice. The gentle touch that landed on his shoulder made him flinch. Another hand made him turn to look at her. "Oh, Naruto..."**

 **"...Z-Zack's d-dead." It was the only thing that Naruto could think of to say. The next thing he knew, Misaki's arms were around him and his were back around hers. "Zack's dead...and it's all my fault."**

 **"No!" Misaki pushed him away, giving him a glare that was trying to be intimidating, but the effect was lost with the tears in her eyes. "No! Naruto, what that** _ **thing**_ **did to Zack...it was** _ **not**_ **your fault."**

"No charmspeak needed on that one," Piper said. Blaming himself wouldn't accomplish anything.

 **"But I-!"**

 **"But nothing!" Misaki's hands cupped his face. "Zack died doing what we have been trained to do: Fight to protect our people. Romans and Mortals alike. He died** _ **protecting**_ **us. He died like a true Roman."**

"Indeed he did." Reyna nodded. "While tragic, this is what we train for."

"Still sucks," Percy frowned.

"It always does."

 **"...Right..." Naruto swallowed and nodded. "Right. Right, he-he died like a true Roman."**

 **Misaki nodded with him. "Zack was a hero of Camp Jupiter." Naruto continued to nod and Misaki stopped him, making him look at her. "Say it."**

 **"Zack w-was a hero of Camp Jupiter."**

 **Misaki gave him a stern look. "Zack's death was** _ **not**_ **your fault."**

"I must say, she's being quite…level headed," Athena said hesitantly.

"Why thank you!" Aphrodite beamed.

 **"Zack's d-death was n-not my fault." Naruto repeated. As the words left his lips, he knew he didn't feel like they were honest.**

"Oh, they are. It's just the unbelievable levels of guilt in him that's preventing him from believing in them." Apollo pointed out.

 **"Naruto," Misaki said softly. "Naruto, this is going to be very hard, but we need to get Zack on the chariot."**

 **"...Bury him at home..." Naruto nodded in agreement. He pulled away from Misaki and rubbed the back of his gauntlet over his eyes. He nodded and said, "We're going to take Zack home and give him a proper burial."**

 **"Right, that's right." Misaki smiled softly. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. "Okay, let's...let's get Zack and we can go home."**

"Home is where the heart is." Hestia smiled.

"You've been waiting for that one, haven't you, sister?" Hera asked with amusement.

Hestia smiled shyly.

 **Naruto looked over at the chariot, still attached to the two stallions. "He's not going to fit on that..."**

 **The two had to turn at the sound of sand rapidly shifting and the feeling at a small tremor. Where the top of the Cetus' tooth once was, there was now a glimmering white pearl on the end of a sword hilt, with the blade impaled in the sand. At the base where the hilt met the blade was an engraved trident. The hilt was a bright gold, a dark leather wrapped around it for the grip.**

"…That's one hell of a BAS!" Ares smiled.

"BAS?" Athena asked him.

"Big ass sword," Hephaestus said while he examined the weapon.

"Duh." Ares drawled and crossed his arms. "How'd the cripple know that, but you didn't? I thought you were smart?"

Athena glared heatedly at him.

"Pretty good looking sword." Hephaestus rumbled softly. He rubbed his chin. "Looks familiar...And Arthurian."

"Hephaestus." Hera gave her son a look and the smith grunted.

All the while, Annabeth's eyes narrowed.

 **"...Well, I guess that would be for me..." Naruto said, his voice tight. He got up off of his knees and went over to the sword. Naruto grabbed the hilt with both hands and pulled it slowly from the ground. The blade was nearly a foot longer than he was tall, and Naruto was grateful his gauntlets hadn't been willed away yet. The side of the golden blade was reflective and pristine, about a foot and a half wide.**

"Hey look, it's Cloud Strife." Apollo happily pointed out.

"For Gaia!" Leo cried out. The demigods and Olympians gave him dry looks. "Er...I mean...The life stream!"

"Much better," Apollo said with a smirk. "Nice save."

"Enough with the references." Artemis rubbed her eyes. "They're giving me a headache."

"Ouch, way to Aeris it, Arte."

 **"It's beautiful," Misaki said softly.**

 **"...It's Zack's." Naruto stabbed the sword partially into the sand. He didn't look at it, couldn't. "I...don't know how well I would've done against the Cetus in a real fight. I...I don't remember it...But, I know that I couldn't have won today...without Zack."**

 **Naruto rested his hand on the hilt. "This will be hung within the Fifth Cohort."**

"The sword hung in memory, forever gleaming its light upon those gaze upon it by a hero's sacrifice."

"…That was beautiful, Jason." Piper whispered. Jason gave her a small smile.

"Thanks, Piper."

 **"That thing is massive. How are we going to get it** _ **and**_ **Zack back to Camp Jupiter on that rickety old chariot?" Misaki asked. "I can't hold onto it and Zack."**

 _ **M'lord?**_ **Naruto looked over at Balius as he and Xanthus approached.** _ **I know it isn't my place, but...perhaps we could ask Lord Neptune for some assistance?**_

"Of course!" Poseidon perked up. "I would help, and I know Neptune would."

 **Naruto frowned. Neptune wasn't exactly at the top of the list of his favorite people at the moment. Sure, he got a very beautiful – and massive – sword for killing the Cetus, a monster that Neptune had sent after a city. However, that monster just killed his older brother figure so, the reward was rather moot.**

 **"What? What'd he say?" Misaki asked, getting to her feet and putting her hand on his arm.**

 **"He wants me to ask Neptune for help."**

 **"That's...actually a very good idea." Naruto turned to her and she gave him a small frown. "Neptune was one of the two creators of the chariot...and we shouldn't exactly try to ask the other for help."**

"Really a smart girl," Athena said.

Aphrodite smirked haughtily.

 **Naruto agreed with that. The last thing Minerva would want would be to be asked for help by a Roman son of Neptune. He was certain that his request would not only be rebuffed, but most likely end with his own death.**

 **"So...what do you think? The river is freshwater, Neptune's lord of the sea." Naruto pointed out.**

 **"The Columbia River exits out into the Pacific," Misaki said. She shrugged. "Hierarchy goes a long way."**

"I've got a lot of connections." Poseidon nodded. "Seventy percent of the world to be exact."

"And you say I'm prideful." Athena rolled her eyes.

"I've got the sky," Zeus lorded the fact with a smirk.

"And I've lordship over the dead. Yes, Zeus, continue to tell us what we don't know." Hades rolled his eyes, gaining a glare from his brat of a brother.

 _ **Bribe**_ **. Naruto looked at Xanthus.**

 **Balius nodded.** _ **Yes! Er, well, I would call it more of an offering myself. But you could offer something up to one of the river gods, M'lord! That would help with getting the message to Lord Neptune! The sword-**_

 **"Not the sword." Naruto flexed his jaw and nearly glanced over at where Zack was. They hadn't even checked his body yet. He could've been clinging to life, but they left him to die.**

"No…he's gone." Nico said firmly. "You'd have to be extremely lucky to survive that. That blow destroyed whatever organs you had. Death would be a mercy at that point."

 **"Stop it." Misaki frowned at him. "Stop feeling guilty."**

 **It was kind of hard to stop feeling guilty when you were the reason someone died. Naruto decided to humor Misaki and focused on the task at hand. He needed to give a sacrifice to the Columbia River god to get a message to Neptune, and he probably should give something to Neptune as well. Maybe even something more to butter him up...**

 **"Three sacrifices." Naruto dug around in his pocket and pulled out the pendants he received from the Blemmyae.**

"I don't know," Poseidon said uncertainly. "I...might. But Neptune...Those're pretty… _flimsy_ for a sacrifice."

 **Misaki stared at them oddly.**

 **"When did you get those?" Misaki asked. She pulled one from his hand and looked it over.**

 **"When I was rescuing Xanthus." Naruto looked to the stallion, who had the decency to appear slightly bashful at being captured by the headless monsters. "They're just some pendants."**

 _ **We can't give those to someone under Lord Neptune! Even if it came from his son, it would be a slap to the face of that god!**_ **Balius neighed, affronted. Naruto agreed with the horse, but this was all he had.**

 **"No...Naruto, these are** _ **cases**_ **." Misaki reached into her purse and retrieved her dagger, a brilliant gold pugio that was shorter than Scaevola's by three inches and thinner by one. She turned the pendant upside down and slid the tip of her pugio across the seam, opening the pouch. Her thin fingers slipped into the small pendant and pulled out a small gem that reflected light perfectly, looking just like the sea. Misaki's eyes sparkled. "It's an aquamarine crystal...Naruto, do you know how rare this is in the United States? These are usually exported from Brazil!"**

"Hot damn!" Leo whistled with raised brows. "Where do I find those face body guys?"

"They spawn randomly," Thalia said.

"Gosh darn it!"

"Leo!" Hazel whined. He loved making fun of her and she was getting sick of it.

 **"...That makes a much better offering than I thought."**

 **Misaki looked torn. "Do we have to offer it?"**

"Ugh, get your priorities straight." Reyna groaned.

 **Naruto gave her a look. "Misaki...We have to get Zack home..."**

 **Misaki looked at the crystal in her hand with a whimper before she held it out and looked away. "If we must...For Zachary."**

 **Naruto took the stone and cut the other two cases open. Two more equally beautiful crystals slipped into his hand and Misaki let out another whimper. Must be a Venus thing.**

"No, it's a girl thing," Aphrodite corrected.

 **To Naruto, these were just pretty stones. And if they helped him, all the better.**

 **Naruto walked into the water and looked at the gems in his hand. He couldn't exactly just throw them and say "Hey Neptune! Give me a ride home!" Yeah, getting on the wrong side with his sire wasn't on his things-to-do list today. Instead, Naruto knelt down and let his hand disappear under the water.**

 **"Um..." Naruto felt bad that he didn't know the name of the god in control of the Columbia River, so he faltered for a moment. "Hi, uh, mister god or goddess of the Columbia River...can you, uh, send a message to Neptune? One of these stones are for you and the others are for him."**

"At least he can be polite." Dionysus sniffed, looking at Percy as he said it.

The boy just rolled his eyes at the wine god.

 **A crystal shone brightly before it vanished, which made Naruto blink. "Oh...thanks. Tell Neptune that...Naruto Uzumaki, his son, needs a way to return his friend's b-body to Camp Jupiter." Naruto paused for a moment before he lowered his voice. "And tell him that I have a lot of other questions for him...that I'll ask at Camp."**

"Which will hopefully be answered." Poseidon muttered. He felt sorry for his son.

 **The water passed calmly around him, crashing lightly on the beach. He waited for a moment before the aquamarine crystals vanished. Misaki let out a sharp gasp shortly afterward and Naruto turned to see the chariot glowing.**

 **When the glow dissipated, a beautiful chariot that was gold and had aquamarine details had replaced it. The proud trident decorated the front, and images of running stallions and flying eagles were engraved on the side. Hooked at the back of the chariot by a sturdy chain was a low wagon with four wheels, a purple bed with a cloth that was large enough to be wrapped around a body.**

"That's…adequate." Athena said tersely.

"What? Are you blind? That's _beautiful_." Hephaestus corrected her with a snort. His compliment got a light glare from both the wise goddess and the Lady of Doves.

"Why thank you," Poseidon said with a smirk.

"All compliments to your Cyclopes, Poseidon."

"...Fair enough." Poseidon sighed.

 **Naruto looked back to the water just in time to see a small ripple appear in the distance. He could've sworn that he saw a guy with green skin and black hair for a second...No matter. Grabbing the broadsword, Naruto went to the wagon, set the sword within, and grabbed the purple cloth. He and Misaki went to Zack's body, both of them paused at the sight.**

 **Zack wasn't flattened, per say, but it was obvious that he did not survive the attack from the Cetus. If he had, it would've been a cruel death. The son of Fortuna had several bones jutted out of his skin, and a shallow crater surrounded his body. His one eye was open, blood trailed from the side down his cheek like a red tear.**

 **It was heartbreaking.**

All the demigods gained solemn looks. Each wondered if that could be one of them someday.

 **With a determined swallow, Naruto knelt at Zack's side and prepared the cloth. Then, with the assistance of his control over the earth, Naruto moved Zack to rest atop the cloth. Misaki helped Naruto bind the body and the both of them carried him over to the wagon, resting him on the padded bed, concealing the sword from view.**

 **The two stared at the wrapped body for another moment before they went to the chariot and climbed aboard. Naruto grabbed the reigns and took one last look at the water, his sea green eyes narrowed, before he cracked the reigns.**

 **Balius and Xanthus neighed and they moved.**

 **The Quest for Scaevola's Dagger was completed, it was time to go home.**

"The aftermath shall be interesting." Reyna commented, holding the book up. "Any takers?"

"I'll have a go," Frank said with a smile while he took the book.


End file.
